10 months ago
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JANNIK SINNER demolished Novak Djokovic to book his place in his maiden Grand Slam final.
Djokovic had gone on to win the Australian Open on all previous ten occasions he had reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
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His flagship partnership is with luxury fashion brand GucciGetty
Instagram @janniksin
Instagram @janniksinBut Sinner’s emphatic 6-1 6-2 6-7 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena ended Djokovic’s 33-match, 2,195-day winning streak Down Under.
And it guaranteed a men’s singles final not featuring one of Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2005.
There will be a new name on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, too – with the Big Three winning in 17 of the last 18 and Stan Wawrinka reigning in 2014.
Italian Sinner, 22, will take on Daniil Medvedev on Sunday – knowing he is three sets away from winning the first major of his young career and the first Grand Slam for an Italian man since 1976.
But this landmark moment feels like the logical next step on Sinner’s tennis path of progression.
JUNIOR STAR
Sinner began playing tennis aged just three – but quit four years later to focus on his other passion: skiing.
Tennis even dropped to his third sport, behind football, while he became one of the top-ranked junior skiers in Italy.
But aged 13, Sinner decided to prioritise tennis, moving away from his family’s home to train full-time.
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He told the ATP website: “There are a lot of ski slopes just literally outside of my front door.
“I remember the first time I went skiing. My brother was having some lessons and I saw him and I wanted to go but my mum told me, ‘Not today.’
“I kept crying to her and asking and then she said, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ They were expecting me to go once and then I would go home. But I stayed all day until they closed the slopes. Then I went every day and loved it.
“One year I won many trophies when skiing, but then the year after I felt that physically, the others were so much stronger.
“I went out twice and didn’t feel comfortable anymore. I really loved playing tennis because everything was from my side. I had my head under control, which in skiing is very tough.”
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Sinner went pro aged 16 and has made a steady riseGetty
EPA
ReutersSinner didn’t feature massively on the junior circuit but went pro in 2018 when he was still only 16.
Sinner continued to make steady incremental progress, winning the 2019 NextGen Finals and his first ATP Tour title in November 2020 either side of breaking into the world’s top 100.
In 2022, he made the brave and sudden call to shake up his long-term coaching team and bring in Darren Cahill.
It proved a successful partnership as he claimed his first Masters 1000 title in August 2023, a month after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.
And his stunning end to the season – sparked by throwing up in a courtside bin in China – saw him finish as the runner-up at the ATP Finals, carry Italy to Davis Cup glory by coming back from match points down against Djokovic and end the year as the world No4.
PASSIONATE FANS
Sinner’s swashbuckling style, including his venomous forehand and incredible movement around the court, have earned himself plenty of cash – more than £13.3million already.
But it has also seen him rack up a host of followers – including 1.5million on Instagram and his very own fan club, who Sinner joked are even more famous than him.
The six Carota Boys are regularly spotted at Sinner’s matches in their brilliant carrot costumes – a reference to Sinner’s orange hair and the time he ate an entire carrot during a changeover.
MAN OF STYLE
But while his passionate supporters are willing to deck themselves out in bright fancy dress, Sinner is far more classy.
No wonder, too, when he has been picked up by Italian fashion giants Gucci.
Sinner walks out on to court for each match with a custom-made duffel bag worth thousands of pounds.
He boasts a host of other sponsorships, too, with Rolex, Nike, Head and Lavazza among them.
NATIONAL TREASURE
Sinner – whose nickname of ‘Fox’ at school inspired his signature logo – has also had a long-term partnership with Alfa Romeo.
But now he appears to be flirting with the top dog for Italian supercars: Ferrari.
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Instagram @janniksin
Instagram @janniksinSinner visited the Ferrari HQ and factory in recent months and the flame-haired sensation even got a go behind the wheel of the famous Prancing Horse.
Arguably there is one endorsement even more quintessentially Italian than even Gucci or Ferrari, though.
And that is with iconic cheese brand Parmigiano Reggiano.
BRACC TO BASICS
But there is not much else cheesy about young Jannik Sinner.
The huge AC Milan fan, paraded at an adoring San Siro this season, is dating glamorous model and influencer Maria Braccini.
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Alamy
The Italian dropped just one set on his way to the final against Daniil MedvedevGettyA whopping 191,000 people follow Braccini on Instagram – although she remains on private.
It is understood they started dating in September 2020 before going on a break in 2021 but then got back together in 2022.
The pair, understandably, keep their personal life away from the public eye with very few images of them together.
Sinner has a similar approach with his family, his brother, chef dad and waitress mother, who are watching his efforts in Melbourne from back home in Italy.
He said: “Whether or not I am with a girl will never be known on social media, because I want to keep my private life private.
“I don’t need to post a photo to show whether I’m engaged. I never posted pictures with my parents, maybe one with my brother.”
Sinner has ten ATP titles to his name so far across nine different countries and is fluent in three languages.
And come Sunday, he will be desperately hoping No11 is in the Gucci bag with his name on every tennis fan’s lips around the world.
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