- The Italian 22-year-old wowed the crowd at Melbourne Park
- Came from two sets to love to claim victory
- Revealed why his parents couldn’t make the trip
When Italian tennis star Janniik Sinner climbed into the stands to celebrate his victory at the Australian Open with his entourage in the players’ box, there were two notable absentees.
While the 22-year-old hugged friends and loved ones, his parents Johann (Hanspeter) and Siglinde Sinner were both back in Italy and missed this unique event.
Sinner praised both his parents and revealed that it was their support that inspired him to give up competitive skiing and devote himself to tennis as a teenager.
“They always gave me everything, and they never put any pressure on myself, which is maybe the key to why I’m here,” he said.
‘They are the perfect parents. Of course I only know them, but they are great.’
But his Australian coach Darren Cahill revealed his parents were unable to attend as they stayed home to work at a ski resort to continue supporting the family.
“We’re a bit sad they couldn’t be here, but it’s such a long way to get from Italy to the semi-final or the final and you never really know,” Cahill said.
“And I think they believe in a little swearing, you know, they don’t want to get on a plane and come and ruin the mojo or something.”
Italian Jannik Sinner celebrates with coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi after winning his first Grand Slam title on Sunday evening
A younger Sinner is depicted with his parents Johann (Hanspeter) and Siglinde Sinner, and brother Marc Sinner
Sinner quickly climbed into the crowd to celebrate with loved ones, but unfortunately his parents were unable to make the trip
The other half of Sinner’s coaching staff, Simone Vagnozzi, said his parents would support him at tournaments whenever they could, outside of their work commitments.
“If we have to talk about parents, Jannik’s parents are great, really great,” he said.
‘Sometimes they come to the tournaments, but they don’t say a word about tennis.
“They’re just there, enjoying the tournament life, but they never come to us and say, ‘Oh, you know, the serve, well, you know, this, you know, the breaking point.’
“Right now it’s not easy to find those kinds of families because at YouTube everyone is a coach, especially in Italy. So we’re really lucky.’
Vagnozzi also noted what role models Sinner’s parents are for the 22-year-old.
‘Jannik’s training was evident every day on the track. The racket never went down once,” he said.
“I think it’s a really good example for the Italian to have.”
This was echoed by Cahill.
“(Similarly) to what you see with Jannik off the field, he’s incredibly respectful on the field,” he said.
“Whether it’s the umpires or the ball kids or line people or whoever – the transport drivers, the people in the restaurants, he’s very well-bred and keeps his feet on the ground.
‘His parents are exactly the same as him. His father has that crazy Jannik smile.’