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Jannik Sinner’s career has been defined by the choices he has made. And the freedom he had to make them.
As a child, he grew up in the German-speaking part of Italy’s Dolomites and chose tennis over skiing, despite winning national junior titles on the slopes.
At the age of 13, she decided to leave home and travel to the Italian Riviera to enroll at a tennis academy.
And finally, when he reached the pinnacle of greatness, he decided to step away from his longtime coach, take a step back, and start his own team. That was the team Sinner had in his box when he won the Australian Open on Sunday, becoming the first Italian to do so. He won a Grand Slam singles title for the first time in almost half a century.
It all started with his parents leaving him alone at an early age to find his own path while teaching him a solid work ethic.
“My parents are special because when I got home from school they were away, they were working, and I always went skiing,” Sinner said Wednesday, an hour after returning to Italy to celebrate. spoke at a press conference. . “When I got home at 4:30, my mother was always at home, but I sometimes went to play tennis and a little football (soccer).”
Sinner’s parents worked at a ski lodge, his father a chef and his mother a waitress.
“They taught me that mindset: ‘If you want to achieve something, you have to work hard.’ This kind of work ethic can be learned, but most of the time it’s It’s something my parents gave me,” Sinner said.
His parents are still working, although they now occasionally take part in tennis tours. His father helps out at the restaurant whenever possible, and his mother runs the family guesthouse, Haus Sinner.
“So they’re always working. That’s what I like about them,” Sinner said. “They haven’t changed anything about me. I’m just a normal guy from a young age with big dreams, and now he’s 22 years old and just had big dreams.
“It’s all work. There are no secrets. Or maybe you work more than others,” Sinner added.
Sinner arrived in Rome on Tuesday and called on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Monday, Pope Francis also congratulated Sinner on his victory.
After a press conference on the roof of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation headquarters, Sinner headed to the Colosseum for a photo shoot.
The last Italian player to win a Grand Slam singles title was Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open.
In November, Sinner led Italy to their first Davis Cup victory since 1976, and on Thursday he and the rest of the team will be honored by the country’s President Sergio Mattarella, capping a whirlwind tour in the Italian capital.
“I’m taking everything very calmly,” Sinner said. “I feel the warmth and importance of people. …But I’m still the same child I was before.”
Sinner was widely questioned two years ago when he left longtime coach Riccardo Piatti just after breaking into the top 10 of the rankings. However, he developed under the tutelage of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill.
“I wanted to throw myself into the fire. I wanted to try a different method,” Sinner said. …My team doesn’t have to be the best team. The important thing is that they are all good, ordinary people. That’s what I was looking for. ”
So has Sinner revised his goals now that he’s won both a Davis Cup and a Grand Slam and is ranked No. 4?
“I know that I still need to improve physically and fitness-wise, and that will help my tennis,” Sinner said. “I can do everything better. Many important steps have been taken, but there is still work to be done.”
My immediate goal is to be number 3.
“We’re taking it one step at a time,” Shinner explained.
At one point, Sinner thought he would take such a step in skiing as well. At the age of 8 he won the Italian championship and at the age of 12 he took second place in the national competition.
“So I was really good,” Sinner said. “But then when I started competing against older guys in slalom and giant slalom, I had a few so-so seasons, and when downhill came along, I was too underweight to compete.
“So I continued playing tennis,” he added. “In skiing, if you make a mistake, you’re out. It’s a dangerous sport and you have to get up early in the morning and go outside in the frigid cold. Tennis is a little more accessible. And in the end, you’re successful. I think it’s the right choice. “
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis