Jannik Sinner recently took home his first grand slam trophy after beating Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the Australian Open, making him the first Italian man to win the title since 1976. The 22 year old was down two sets to nothing, but managed to make an incredible comeback, outwitting his opponent through stamina, speed and most importantly, his ‘never give up attitude’. 

Born in the region of South Tyrol, in Northern Italy, Sinner was originally a competitive skier, and became one of Italy’s top junior skiers at the ripe age of 8. However, at the age of 13, he had fallen head over heels in love with tennis, eventually deciding to move on his own to Liguria to train at the Piatti Tennis Centre, owned by infamous tennis coach Riccardo Piatti. From there, it was straight to the top for Sinner; he began to compete in professional tournaments, against people who were twice his age and had years of experience over him. He won his first first ATP title at the age of 17, and began to climb up the rankings, eventually making his top 10 debut in 2021. He finally took home his first grand slam trophy earlier this year in Melbourne. 

In his post-match speech, he described in broken English how “It’s a huge tournament for me”, before going on to say [about him and his coaching team] “We are trying to get better every day, even during the tournament we try to get stronger, trying to understand every situation a little bit better”. 

He then went on to thank his team for being by his side, saying “I’m so glad to have you there supporting me, understanding me, which isn’t always easy because I am a little bit young” 

Italian tennis has become a massive phenomenon, with Sinner leading the charge to the top on the men’s side, alongside fellow players such as Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini. The country has a particularly good record on the women’s side, which includes grand slam champions Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone. Italy also boasts a number of academies that train players who are hoping to become professional. The future for Italian tennis is looking bright! 

Jannik Sinner has started his tennis season off on a good note, and we cannot wait to see what else he will achieve this year!

Sources: 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/68123938

https://www.cbssports.com/tennis/news/australian-open-2024-jannik-sinner-aryna-sabalenka-crowned-as-grand-slam-singles-champions-at-melbourne-park/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannik_Sinner

https://ausopen.com/articles/news/sinner-winner-italian-takes-first-major-ao-2024