JAnnick Sinner is only 22, but he walks with the calm assurance of a Grand Slam champion. He looks much older than he is. And he’s as approachable as he is earnest, which suits the fact that Sinner is an Italian who grew up speaking German, now models for Gucci, and is sometimes cheered on by an eccentric group of fans who dress like carrots and call themselves the “Carota Boys,” a tribute to Sinner’s red hair and the fading memory of him eating the humble vegetable during a match in Vienna.
It makes sense to face Sinner at Roland Garros, because an unexpected defeat here a year ago transformed his shaky psyche and set him on a new, clearer path. Since then, Sinner has maintained a clear sense of purpose, beating Novak Djokovic in three of their last four meetings, bringing the Davis Cup to Italy, winning the Australian Open in January and rising to number two in the world rankings.
But let’s start with his heartbreaking second-round defeat at last year’s French Open, which took five hours and 26 minutes to be beaten by little-known Daniel Altmaier, who exposed a psychological flaw that shocked Sinner and transformed him forever.
“I always try to learn from my losses, but this time was tough,” he said. “My mindset was not good and I promised myself I would never behave like that again. It was time to smile and do my best. Of course there is pressure, but pressure is a privilege.”
Sinner shrugs with a wry smile as he recalls the turbulent match in which he led 2-1 but then let frustration take over his sanity. “There were too many emotional ups and downs. Especially on clay, you can play one set well and one set badly. But I was just not happy on court for no reason. My team said, ‘Why are you acting like that?’ And they were right. I’ve always believed that if you want to improve, you have to admit that you did something wrong.”
He praised his new coaches, Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, who took over in 2022, with the Italian instilling important technical changes and the calm Australian Cahill strengthening his mental toughness. “I trained a lot after that match,” Sinner says. “It’s OK to miss a shot, it’s OK to lose, but you have to be happy to be on the court.”
“Tennis started as a hobby, but now it’s become my job. But it’s important to play it like a hobby. It’s impossible to be positive all the time. There are a lot of negative moments, but you have to find a way to get out of them. The more I play, the easier it becomes.”
Other losses have left scars. In 2022, Sinner had match point against Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semifinals, but lost an epic battle that lasted more than five hours. At Wimbledon last year, he lost again to Djokovic in straight sets in the semifinals. But then he bounced back from three match points in the Davis Cup to beat a seemingly invincible Djokovic and then swept him away at this year’s Australian Open.
Sinner’s new-found composure was tested when Daniil Medvedev led by two sets in his first Grand Slam final in Melbourne. But instead of crumbling, Sinner came out stronger.
“When I beat him for the first time when I was down 5-1 in the second set, it helped me. It gave me confidence that I could beat him. I tried to stay focused but I could see that physically he was a little weak. He had a tough two weeks playing some very long matches. I just tried to hang in there as long as I could and get the momentum going.”
“I like to dance in the storm of pressure,” Sinner says with an interesting line, then smiles. “You have to enjoy the pressure, because we’re not doctors who operate. As doctors, if you make a mistake, you can lose your life. You either win or you lose, and you’ll have another chance next week.”
On the night that I became a Grand Slam champion, Sinner resolved to work harder. “All this hard work gave me the satisfaction of lifting a big trophy. If I want to lift another trophy, I have to keep working hard. There is no luck in this game. My opponents know me very well so I have to improve physically and mentally and make changes in my game. It’s fun to find solutions.”
Did he truly enjoy his achievement? “The most fun part was the plane ride back with the team. Normally I sleep on the plane but that night I didn’t. There was a bar on the plane so we went there and talked. I like sharing my victories with the people who helped me get to this point.”
Asked if he’d had a few beers, Sinner shook his head in amusement: “My way of celebrating is different. If it’s a good week, I usually have a burger and fries, a Coke and tiramisu or ice cream. In Melbourne I ate everything. That’s my secret pleasure.”
When he smiles, he looks very young, but he has the tenacity he developed when he left home at 14. Even a year ago, tennis was Sinner’s third favorite sport after soccer and skiing, where he was national junior champion in giant slalom. He grew up in South Tyrol, in northern Italy, near the Austrian border, where the local language is German. Sinner’s father was a chef and his mother was a waitress at the ski lodge where they lived.
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His parents allowed him to move 400 miles away to Riccardo Piatti’s tennis academy in Bordighera, on the coast near the French border. “It was hard to leave home,” Sinner says, “but it was even harder for my parents to send their little son so far away. But they gave me freedom.”
Sinner spoke very little Italian when he arrived at Bordighera, but was lucky enough to move into the family home of Croatian coach Luka Cvetkovic. “I would like to do it all again,” he says. “It helped me grow up. Going to the supermarket, doing the laundry, cleaning up after meals – these little things are important at 14, because they’re what make you a grown-up.”
“I was away from home, family, friends, skiing, football and it was a tough time. I gave up a lot, but it was good for me.”
“I felt very safe with Luca. His daughter was five years younger than me and his son was a little smaller. I was like an older brother to them and they also had a dog. I love animals but they didn’t have one because my parents were busy working. The only problem was communication. My Italian is poor and Luca’s wife and I used sign language instead of speaking. They were amazing and I don’t know what I would do without them.”
He remains close to his parents, who are still working and will not be coming to France. But Sinner appears to have recovered from a back injury he suffered in Madrid last month. He is 28-2 this year, an impressive record, and on Monday he will face American Christopher Eubanks, ranked 43rd in the world and not a fan of clay courts.
Sinner faced Eubanks at the 2022 US Open and won in straight sets. However, he said of Eubanks: “He’s very aggressive and a big server, so hopefully I can find a way to return as many balls as I can and hit from the back of the court. My back is feeling good, but I haven’t touched a racket in almost three weeks. I’ve lost weight, but if I can get past the first round, I think I’ll get more time on the court and gain more confidence.”
If Sinner can regain his ferocious rhythm of hitting the ball harder and more accurately than anyone in tennis, he’ll be a favorite to win a second Grand Slam title. His friendly rivalry with Alcaraz comes at just the right time, with Rafa Nadal playing his final French Open and Djokovic trying to regain his dominance.
Sinner and Alcaraz are 4-4 head-to-head and seeded to meet in the semifinals. “When you play him, you know it’s a big match,” Sinner said. “But we’re still young and can’t compare ourselves to other players. [Nadal and Djokovic] Not yet. We have a long way to go and we need to be consistent.”
Asked if he had an idea of where to get the best burger in town if there was another memorable tournament, he smiled: “I’m not there yet in Paris, but I’ll give it a try,” Sinner said.
