Jannik Sinner is one of the brightest young talents in recent memory. The Italian, who turned 21 last month, has already triumphed at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, appeared in the Nitto ATP Finals, won six tour-level trophies and cracked the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP rankings.
Don’t tell him about his accomplishments, though. According to Sinner, this is only the beginning, which scares his colleagues on the ATP Tour.
“I already know what I have in my game, so I try to stay confident with that, but also humble because at the end of the day, I haven’t won almost anything or of course any important match,” said Sinner told ATPTour.com. . “It’s all part of the process. I don’t want to rush, but I think I can be proud of what I’m doing, so hopefully I’ll keep it that way.
For Sinner, it’s not about rushing to lift a particular trophy or defeating a particular opponent. From an early age, he harbored great ambitions. On Wednesday, he will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the US Open. But just three years ago he was a skilled speaking to the media from a small booth inside the Flushing Meadows media center.
“I want to be the best player not only in Italy,” Sinner said that day. “But maybe once I can say I’m the best player in the world.”
Jannik Sinner” />
Sinner participating in the US Open qualifiers in 2019 at the age of 18.
It’s not something Sinner expected to happen overnight. In fact, he constantly talks about the “long road” of his career and the fact that there is always something to improve. The San Candido native often takes to the training ground after games, even long and grueling battles, in order to do the slightest refinement to get closer to his ultimate potential.
This mentality stems from Sinner’s childhood.
“I always had that because my parents, they gave me that kind of mentality, so I carry that with me. I’m proud to have that kind of mentality,” Sinner said. the way my mom and dad are, so I like to be a lot like them. I also think my brother is quite the same. I think I always had it.
Sinner’s father, Johann, is a chef at the Talschlusshutte restaurant in Sesto-Val-Fiscalina, just over the Austrian border in northeast Italy. His mother, Siglinde, was a waitress at the same restaurant.
“Now because we have apartments in the house too, my mom helps clean the apartments and stuff because the apartments are in the same house as my grandma and grandpa. They’re getting a bit older, so now she helps them,” Sinner said. “Sometimes I remember helping my mom and grandma and grandpa clean the apartments. Saturday was usually the day people came and went, so I was there to help them a little.
The restaurant was about a 45 minute walk from Sinner’s house. He remembers making this trip to see his parents in action.
“I’ve always loved picking up my dad from the restaurant where he works,” Sinner said. “Then I can see a bit how he cooks and how he works. It’s funny.”
Ironically, Sinner made the analogy by comparing his fledgling career to that of an aspiring chef. In 2020, he was out of the kitchen. Last year, he was peeling vegetables. The Italian saw progress in 222.
“He’s definitely getting a little bigger,” Sinner said of the “salad” that’s his game. “I know I can add something more, but if you have more, you have more. options, so it can be good, but sometimes it can also be a bit difficult because sometimes you have to choose from more ingredients.
“Sometimes you may not be distracted, but [you can feel] a bit of chaos in your mind as to which move to play. This has happened to me sometimes. But I think the salad is growing and that’s the most important thing.
Sinner playing in front of his home fans in Turin in 2021.
Sinner wasn’t afraid to make any changes he felt was necessary to keep adding to this salad. In February, he announced the end of his long-term partnership with Riccardo Piatti, who is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport. Sinner has hired Italian Simone Vignozzi and more recently Darren Cahill, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt.
“When you change everything, it’s a bit different. It’s a different way of working. It was something new. I was still getting used to it a bit, but now I’m getting used to it,” said Sinner. “I know Darren well, I know Simone well and also Umberto and Jerome. It’s a good feeling because I know their personalities a lot better and they know me better and how I feel better every day. I think it’s a good feeling. is good, but it was sure that at the beginning it was not easy.
It took until July for Sinner to advance to the quarter-finals of a tournament. But he did much more at Umag, where he won the title with two dominating sets against Alcaraz in the championship match.
Sinner is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he attempts to make the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year, having replaced Matteo Berrettini as an alternate in 2021. A win over Alcaraz will send him skyrocketing in ninth place.
“The year is still young. It’s still long. If I want to get there, I have to play well from now on, that’s for sure. But I know it. I will do my best to do so,” Sinner said. “This year, it is not one of the main objectives. It’s more about trying to improve everything and then we’ll see how I evolve in the next two months.
It was always about the “process” for Sinner, and in three years, it took him from unknown to star. Why stop now?
“I think it’s fair [about] work hard and believe. That’s the only thing I can say. Especially in difficult times… and maybe when you have a difficult loss or [something], the day after entering the field and training. I think those are the kinds of things that sometimes make a difference,” Sinner said. “I go to the court because I like to play tennis. It’s not because I have to play. I go there because I really like to play tennis.
Comments are closed.