It was a true tennis thriller that unfolded before the audience in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz battled through five long sets to determine who would advance to the final of this prestigious Grand Slam tournament. In the end, the Spaniard triumphed over the north Italian and soon after crowned himself the overall champion in Paris.

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How is Sinner handling it? Pragmatically: “More important than success is continuing to work hard and analyzing the mistakes,” he says—likely aware that Alcaraz’s triumph doesn’t change the fact that he leads the tennis world rankings by a respectable margin, and at just 23 years old. “Seeing the number one next to your name is incredible,” the north Italian emphasized after reaching the French Open semifinals, “it obviously means a lot to me.” It holds even greater significance for Italy: never in history has one of its players reached the top of the tennis world. He's the “champion Italy has waited almost half a century for,” raved Corriere della Sera, which nicknamed the north Italian the “Red Baron” for his striking hair.

Love at second sight

Sinner's path to becoming a tennis pro was anything but predetermined—for Jannik, born on August 16, 2001, it initially seemed that skiing was in his blood. His parents, a chef and a waitress, run a guesthouse in Sexten, in the far northeastern corner of northern Italy. It was there, in the Dolomites, that young Jannik first strapped on skis—just as any north Italian boy should, as he himself often points out.

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Early successes came quickly: at seven years old, Sinner became the Italian champion in giant slalom and was the runner-up in 2012. He started playing tennis as a sort of summer activity, without much enthusiasm for it. The world has his father, Hanspeter, to thank for his persistence. Hanspeter encouraged Jannik to give it another shot, and, lo and behold, the young boy suddenly found enjoyment in the sport.

"I chose tennis because it's a game that lasts longer in competition than just a minute or a minute and a half," he once admitted. "That intrigued me." He began his professional training in Bordighera, Liguria, with renowned tennis coach Riccardo Piatti, who had once trained a young Novak Djokovic. During his teenage years, however, Sinner wasn’t necessarily seen as a top talent. His first tournaments yielded little success, as he lagged behind peers who had started regular training at a younger age. This may have motivated Sinner all the more: he worked hard, invested a lot of time, and paved his way to the top.

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It all started in 2020, when he won his first ATP title in Sofia. In 2021, he triumphed there again, as well as in Adelaide, Washington, and Antwerp. In 2022, his only trophy came in Umag, but in 2023, he claimed his first Masters 1000 title in Montreal, along with victories in Montpellier, Beijing, and at the Vienna Stadthalle. For now, 2024 stands out as a landmark year in Sinner's career: he captured his first Major at the Australian Open, added another title in Miami, and won in Rotterdam. Only in Paris did things fall just short this year.

It’s clear that this won’t be the last showdown between him and Alcaraz: both are around the same age and are expected to dominate tennis in the coming years. "Sinner is an exciting player; he’s equally dangerous on both his forehand and backhand and strong in both offense and defense. We’ll be hearing more and more about him," says Roger Federer, one of the north Italian's major idols. Others praise his mental strength and maturity, seeing him as a prime example of what’s possible with smart planning, meticulousness, and dedicated effort—alongside a wealth of talent.

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Through it all, Jannik Sinner has remained a "pretty normal guy," as he likes to say. It’s easy to believe the young north Italian, along with his humility and strong connection to his roots. Time and again, Sinner feels drawn back to Sexten: "I’m very happy to be here again, in the place where I was born, where I spent my youth, and where my family and friends are," Sinner said during a reception held in his hometown after the tournament in Paris.

In his free time, the north Italian goes hiking and still enjoys skiing. He wisely stays away from social media and hardly reveals anything about his private life. He only revealed this much once: His favorite food is Wiener schnitzel.