Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner
Born	Template:Birth date and age Innichen, South Tyrol, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Education
Occupation	Professional tennis player
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Winning the 2024 Australian Open, ATP Finals Champion (2024), Davis Cup Champion (2023), ITF World Champion (2024)
Parents	Johann Sinner (father), Siglinde Sinner (mother)
Spouse	Unmarried
Instagram
Website	[N/A Website]

Early life and background

Jannik Sinner was born on 16 August 2001 in the town of Innichen (Italian: San Candido) in South Tyrol, Italy. His parents, Hanspeter (often written “Hans-Peter”) and Siglinde Sinner, worked in the hospitality industry: his father was a chef and his mother worked as a waitress at a ski-lodge in the Dolomites region. His older adopted brother, Mark (born in Russia in 1998 and adopted by the Sinner family), has remained out of the public spotlight. Sinner grew up speaking German as his mother tongue (a reflection of the German-speaking community in his region), and later became fluent in Italian and English. He spent his childhood in the mountain village of Sexten (Sesto) in the Dolomites, where he engaged in skiing and football in addition to tennis. From an early age Sinner showed sporting talent: he began skiing at age three and by eight years old was competing in races; at age seven he won a national championship in giant slalom, and at age 11 he was runner-up in the national giant slalom for his age. Parallel to this, he began playing tennis at age seven (after a brief earlier involvement). For several years, skiing and football remained higher priorities than tennis for him. When he was around 13, Sinner made the decision to focus fully on tennis—due in part to his physique (he was tall and thin, weighing around 35 kg at the time) and his preference for the one-on-one nature of tennis rather than team sports. He moved away from home to train: he relocated to Bordighera on the Italian Riviera (Liguria) to train at the Piatti Tennis Center under coach Riccardo Piatti and Massimo Sartori, with the support of his parents. During this period he lived separately from the family home (first with the family of coach Luka Cvjetković, then with roommates). He completed his secondary schooling at the Walther Institute, a private economics school in Bolzano. His early background in skiing has often been cited as contributing to his athleticism, footwork and movement on the tennis court.

Junior career

Sinner’s junior tennis career was relatively modest compared to many of his later peers: on the ITF Junior Circuit he did not participate widely in the premier Grade A events and did not play in junior Grand Slams. His only Grade A junior tournament was the Trofeo Bonfiglio. In 2017 he made an opening-round loss at Italy’s Grade A junior event; in 2018 he reached the quarter-final of that event and did not contest any further high-level junior draws. His career-high junior world ranking was No. 133, relatively low due to limited participation in the top-tier junior tournaments. By the end of 2017 he had already begun transitioning toward professional men's events — a move which demonstrated his early ambition and talent despite the limited junior résumé.

Professional career

2018: ITF Futures & Challenger Tour beginnings

Sinner made his mark in men’s professional tennis in 2018. With a low ranking initially, he began competing on the ITF Men’s Circuit and by the second half of the year received wild-cards into ATP Challenger events. He won one ITF title in doubles and ended the year ranked around No. 551. The experience gained in 2018 established the base for his rapid ascent in 2019.

2019: Breakthrough – Challenger titles, Next Gen, Top 100

In February 2019, at age 17, Sinner won his first ATP Challenger title in Bergamo, becoming the youngest Italian to ever win a Challenger. He followed this by winning another Challenger (at Lexington) later that year, making him one of the few players aged 17 to win multiple Challenger titles. He also received a wild-card into his first ATP tour-level event at the Hungarian Open as a lucky loser and notched his first tour-level win. Later, he qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw at the US Open (losing to Stan Wawrinka). In the autumn he qualified for the 2019 Next Generation ATP Finals, where he defeated Miomir Kecmanović in the semi-final and Alex de Minaur in the final to win the event, signalling his arrival among the elite of his age group. He finished 2019 ranked world No. 78, becoming the youngest year-end top-80 player since Rafael Nadal in 2003. He was awarded the ATP Newcomer of the Year and also the Gazzetta Sport Award for Best Performance of the Year for his de Minaur win.

2020: First ATP title and rise into top 40

Sinner began 2020 with his first Australian Open main draw win (over Max Purcell) and then recorded his first top-10 victory at the Rotterdam Open against David Goffin. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the tour, but after the restart he reached the third round at the Rome Masters (defeating world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas) and became the youngest quarter-finalist at the French Open since Novak Djokovic in 2006, and the first to reach it on debut since Rafael Nadal in 2005. He defeated Goffin and Alexander Zverev en route before losing to Nadal. In November, Sinner won the Sofia Open for his first ATP tour-level title, defeating Vasek Pospisil in the final. He became the youngest Italian in the Open Era to win a tour-level title and the youngest player to win an ATP title since Kei Nishikori in 2008. He finished 2020 ranked world No. 37.

2021: Four titles, first Masters final, Top 10 debut

In early 2021 he captured his second career title at the Great Ocean Road Open, beating Karen Khachanov in the semifinal and advanced his reputation as a streak-winner (10 consecutive wins). He reached the final of the Miami Open (a Masters 1000 event) — becoming at age 19 the youngest finalist at that level since Rafael Nadal. He defeated Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut, and lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the final. He also won the Washington Open (ATP 500) by defeating Mackenzie McDonald, becoming the youngest ATP 500 winner since the category’s creation and the first Italian to win that tournament. He added titles in Sofia (defending his crown) and the European Open in Antwerp (defeating Diego Schwartzman). In November he broke into the ATP top-10 for the first time (No. 10 on 1 November) – the first male player born in the 2000s to do so. He also made his debut at the ATP Finals as alternate and recorded a win over Hubert Hurkacz. He finished the year at world No. 10.

2022: Quarter-final runs at majors, further consistency

Sinner reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open (lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas) and again made deep runs at Masters events in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. At Wimbledon he defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach his third career Grand Slam quarter-final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic after leading two sets to love. He captured his first clay-court title by winning the Croatia Open (defeated Alcaraz in the final). At the US Open he reached the quarter-final for the first time, becoming the youngest player since Djokovic in 2007-08 to reach the quarter-finals of all four majors. Sinner’s season was interrupted by injury but he nonetheless finished 2022 ranked world No. 15.

2023: Masters title, Davis Cup triumph, world No. 4

In 2023 Sinner began his season in Montpellier (Open Sud de France) winning the title with no set dropped. He recorded his first top-3 victory versus Tsitsipas at the ABN AMRO Open and advanced to the Montreal (Canadian Open) where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating Alex de Minaur in the final. He further won the China Open (defeating Daniil Medvedev) and the Vienna Open (again defeating Medvedev) to end the season with his best year-end wins total by an Italian. At the ATP Finals in Turin on debut he won all round-robin matches, including a win over Novak Djokovic, and lost in the final to Djokovic. On the international stage, he led Italy to their 2023 Davis Cup title: he defeated Djokovic in the semifinal saving three match points, and won the decisive doubles match with Lorenzo Sonego in the final to claim the trophy. As a result of his performances, Sinner was awarded the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year and ATP Fans’ Favourite. He finished 2023 with a career-high ranking of world No. 4 — only the second Italian male player in ATP history to reach the top-5 (after Adriano Panatta).

2025: Australian defence, suspension and Wimbledon triumph

Sinner began 2025 as defending Australian Open champion and duly retained the title — defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final. However, in February 2025 the WADA announced a “case resolution agreement” with Sinner in relation to the 2024 positive tests; though they accepted his lack of intent, he was suspended for three months (9 February to 4 May 2025). He returned to competition at the Italian Open and reached the final, becoming the first Italian man to reach the final of that event since Adriano Panatta in 1978 (losing to Carlos Alcaraz). At the French Open he reached his first final but lost in a marathon five-set match to Alcaraz after holding three championship points up two sets to love. In July 2025 he rebounded spectacularly by winning his first Wimbledon title, defeating Alcaraz in the final (4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4) and becoming the first Italian man ever to win Wimbledon singles. He skipped the Washington and Toronto tournaments (citing calendar congestion) but reached the Cincinnati Masters final, though retired with illness. At the US Open he reached a fifth consecutive Grand Slam final but was defeated by Alcaraz in four sets. In October/November 2025 he claimed the Paris Masters title, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final, and reclaimed the ATP world No. 1 ranking.

Playing style

Sinner plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand. He is widely regarded as an aggressive baseliner — a heavy hitter capable of rapid ball-striking, combining power, precision and composure. His two-handed backhand is one of his greatest weapons, delivering high revolutions per minute (≈1,858 rpm) and an average speed of about 111.2 km/h (≈69.1 mph). He is known for his calm on-court demeanour, which has drawn comparisons to Federer (for his all-court movement and smoothness of shot) and Djokovic (given his footwork and mental fortitude). His skiing background is frequently credited for his excellent lateral movement and balance. Sinner wears contact lenses and has stated that without them he cannot clearly see the ball. His mental strength and maturity in pressure moments — including comebacks from two sets down in Grand Slam finals — highlight his competitive DNA. His favourite surface is hard court, and he particularly thrives on big stages and in high-stakes matches.

Awards and honours

Sinner has received numerous awards and official recognitions for his contributions to tennis and Italian sport.

Professional awards

ATP Newcomer of the Year – 2019

ATP Most Improved Player of the Year – 2023

ATP Fans’ Favourite Player (2) – 2023, 2024

ATP Player of the Year – 2024

ITF World Champion – 2024

Media awards

Gazzetta dello Sport Italian Sportsman of the Year – 2024

Orders

CONI Golden Collar of Sports Merit (Collare d’Oro al Merito Sportivo) (2) – 2023, 2024

Special honours

Honorary Citizen of Sexten – 2024

Personal life

Sinner resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he moved aged 18 for training and tax residence. He is a football fan, supporting AC Milan. His early nickname was “The Fox,” reflecting his cunning and speed on court; he also enjoys skiing in the off-season, using his alpine roots to keep fit. He was in a relationship with Italian model Maria Braccini from 2020 to 2024. Beginning in June 2024, he dated Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya; their relationship ended in May 2025. Sinner moved through various coaches: his early coach was Heribert Mayr, followed by work with Riccardo Piatti, Massimo Sartori and Andrea Volpini. From 2022 he worked with Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi. In mid-2024 he dismissed his fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi in the wake of the doping-substance case; in July 2025 he rehired Ferrara. Off court, he is known for his calm demeanour, his favourite foods being pizza and sushi, and his attention to mental training (he uses the Italian program “Formula Medicine,” originally developed for Formula 1 drivers).

Legacy and impact

By age 24, Sinner already stands as one of the most significant Italian male tennis players in history — the first Italian man to reach world No. 1, the first to win Wimbledon singles, and a multiple-Grand-Slam champion. His rapid rise, from a small Alpine village to the highest rank in men’s tennis, has inspired a younger generation of Italian players and brought renewed global focus to Italian tennis. His playing style — combining power, athleticism, and mental toughness — along with his background in skiing, has made him a model for multi-sport cross-training. His presence among the “next generation” players (born 2000 onwards) has helped signal the transition of men’s tennis to a new era beyond the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic). His handling of adversity (such as the doping-substance case) and his ability to rebound with major titles indicate the maturity and character that mark a champion’s profile. As he continues his career, many analysts expect him to become a reference point in the sport — both for Italian tennis and in the wider global tennis panorama.

References

• “Jannik Sinner | Overview | ATP Tour.” ATP Tour. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
• “The Stunning Rise of Tennis’s Jannik Sinner.” Vogue, 4 April 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
• "‘It was difficult speaking Italian’ – Jannik Sinner." Tennis Tonic. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
• "Jannik Sinner." ATP Tour. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.