Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II in Oystersteel and Yves gold with black dial and Oyster bracelet.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II in Oystersteel and Yves gold with black dial and Oyster bracelet.
Yannick Sinner, captain of the Carrot Boys, stands at the top of every court in the world
Yannick Sinner and I met at a hotel in Monte Carlo. It was a cloudy and windy day. He appeared in tennis clothes, looking a little intimidated but full of wit. He seemed taller than when I last saw him three years ago. “It was a few centimeters taller. “Maybe (the reporter) got smaller as he got older.” He was wearing a Rolex GMT-Master II with a prominent black and brown bezel on his wrist. Sinner took off the watch and showed the phrase engraved on the back. It was a phrase congratulating him on winning his first Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open. “That’s how the most amazing year of my life began,” says Sinner.
Sinner, 23, has been ranked No. 1 in the world in the ATP rankings since June 10. This is a first for an Italian. When he also won the US Open on September 8, he became the first Italian to win two Grand Slam titles in the same season. Although he is still young, it has been a long time since he reached the top level. Sinner grew up in Sesto Pusteria, on the border between Italy and Osteria. His mother, Sieglinde, and his father, Hanspeter, spoke German, and by the time he left the family and entered the tennis academy in Bordighera, near the French border, more than 400 miles from home, Sinner spoke very little Italian.
Now he has become a global star beyond Italy, where the number of applicants to tennis schools is skyrocketing. With his striking red hair and hunched back, his focus on mental health rather than his desire to win at any cost, and his fans, the ‘Carrot Boys’, who are often seen courtside. All of this makes Sinner far from a tennis robot. It is not difficult to see why Rolex chose him as its ambassador.
“That’s a huge source of pride for me. “For me, it’s important to work with elegant people who know the ethics of action.”
Meanwhile, the results said it all. In addition to winning the Australian Open and US Open this year, Sinner won prize money of over 11 million euros (about 16.4 billion won) by winning in Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, and Cincinnati. But this year was also a very painful year for him. Sinner had to sit out playing in Madrid in May due to a hip injury. He also did not participate in the competition held in Rome. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals at Roland Garros and to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He also missed the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis. Above all, he is still plagued by doping suspicions. Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a doping substance, twice in Indian Wells in March on the 10th and 18th. The amount was one billionth of a gram.
Sinner was suspended from tennis for two days on April 4 and 5, but the suspension was revoked after an appeal. Afterwards, he was suspended again from April 17th to 20th. His argument was simple and clear. Sinner’s team discovered that the banned substance clostebol was contained in an over-the-counter spray that his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, had used to treat a cut on his finger. While Naldi was massaging Thinner, a very small amount of the banned substance was inadvertently passed on to Thinner. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted this explanation and acknowledged Sinner’s innocence.
“It was a really difficult time.” Sinner said. “I couldn’t talk to anyone about this. I couldn’t confide in myself or ask for help. People who knew me and watched me play noticed something was wrong with me. Even though I was confident that I was innocent, I had trouble sleeping at night because I knew that these things were complicated. Everyone told me the truth right away, which allowed me to play again. I was clean when I stepped onto the court at Wimbledon, but even after that I felt afraid interacting with people. When I was training in the Cincinnati clubhouse, I was constantly worried about how people looked at me and what they really thought of me. “It was then that I realized who my true friends were.”
The matter appeared to have been resolved, but in September the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it would appeal Sinner’s case. The request was for suspension of participation due to negligence or carelessness. This left Sinner in an uncertain situation for another three to six months. However, his mental strength was strong and it did not affect his performance. In October, he reached the final of the China Open in Beijing.
“I have grown so much this year.” Sinner said. “Mentally and physically.”
Is there anything you want to say?
I would like to say that the results you see are not sudden. This is the fruit of our efforts over the past two years. I am the son of a cook. I know that you can’t suddenly create a good dish in just a few minutes. If you study, understand, try, and try again, you will eventually make a good dish.
Is there anything you learned at the stadium?
tactics. Tactics are important. If you have tactics, you can adjust even a game that is not going well. When Simone Bagnozzi (coach of former professional tennis player Jannick Sinner) joined our team, he gave me 7-8 tips every game. Honestly I didn’t understand anything. Simone told me to slice sometimes, but I didn’t know how to do it, so I changed a lot of things. Technically speaking, I can’t (still) hit a backhand slice correctly. Because I hit a two-handed backhand. (Generally, one-handed backhanders are better at hitting backhand slices with one hand.) Still, I gained more confidence. I like Simone because she talks a lot and doesn’t enforce her own rules. Simone tells me to be more flexible and keep an appropriate distance. This is because hitting the ball in the right way reduces energy consumption.
Is there any area where you think you can grow further?
My serve wasn’t good during the US Open final. There are times like that. But that also means that I still have a lot of room to grow in serving. No matter how much you practice, there will always come a day when your game doesn’t go well. It is important to develop the ability to hit various types of shots, jump closer to the net more boldly, practice drop shots, and develop various feelings about handling the ball.
How would you describe your style to someone who knows nothing about tennis?
There is a mixture of a tightly guarded style and an aggressive style. I find it a bit more difficult to defend. In actual games, I try not to be put on the defensive. My tennis style is very diverse. However, there are still times when I don’t know what to do to play well in front of the net. The player who helped me grow a lot is Daniil Medvedev. I had never tried the serve and volley style (serve, advance close to the net, and score by volley), but I had no choice but to practice it in order to win the game against him. When dealing with certain players, you need to send your backhand down the line more often. When playing tennis, you learn various playing styles depending on your compatibility with your opponent. The question tennis players always have to ask is, “How can I get into my opponent’s head?” When you think about the answer, the aspect of the game changes.
How do you organize your mind in such a confusing situation?
I accept myself. I have matured and understood myself better. It may sound funny, but knowing yourself well is fundamental. This is also where we worked together with Riccardo Ceccarelli (a famous doctor who established a mental management center for Formula 1 athletes). There were times when I lost a match because I expended too much energy, my muscles cramped, and I felt uncomfortable somewhere. But once I started to admit that it was my mistake, I started to move forward little by little. It’s easy to forget that you made a mistake while playing a game. However, when training, I was in a hurry to improve, and that was a mistake.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II in Oystersteel and Yves gold with black dial and Oyster bracelet.
Has equipping yourself to win changed you?
no. We always talk about results. To me, results are nothing more or less than what I can show on the court. If you’re maintaining high standards and hoping your body will hold up, there’s no need to question yourself. Because the results will definitely follow. My family understands me. The team also understands me. Maybe they understand me better than my parents. Thanks to them, I find peace of mind. We are always on the move, living in hotels and airplanes. They are the ones who made me who I am today. They understand what I need.
These are simple facts that make you suddenly fall in love with something. I like driving. Driving feels great. While sitting alone in the car and listening to music, sometimes I even turn off the music and listen to the sound of the engine to recharge myself.
Also in your 2024 was fellow tennis player and partner Anna Kalinskaya. What has she, the object of your new emotions, added to you?
Nothing seems to have changed. A girlfriend is someone who makes you feel good or makes you feel bad. I want the presence of a partner to be a very normal and natural thing in my life. Neither as a player nor as an individual do I have the luxury of dealing with change. Nothing has changed and that’s why our relationship survives.
Nothing can affect you?
It’s not easy to play when you have personal problems. When I found out that my relative, Aunt Margit, who had done so much for me when I was young, was in critical condition, it was really difficult and of course it affected me.
Have you ever thought of yourself as the most successful Italian player of all time?
Believe it or not, it has never been my goal to be the best in any field. For me, it’s more important what kind of person I am, what kind of people I surround myself with, and how much trust I can build with them. I don’t at all think that if you win, your skills are good, and if you lose, your skills are bad. We all have our own talents. Luck comes from the process of finding a way to manifest it.
That is correct. But don’t many things change when you win?
The pressure gets worse. However, I truly believe that a life surrounded by health and love is something that cannot be exchanged for money.
I once met Alessandro Del Piero, one of the greatest soccer players. He said, ‘Losing hurts me.’ What do you think?
Between the winning and learning sides, I am closer to the learning side. I learned a lot from losing to Novak Djokovic often. It was a good, enlightening experience. In soccer, if you face Ronaldo in a game, you will feel like you need to prepare better. There are always plenty of opportunities to make up for it.
The Italians love you, but they’re complaining about the fact that you haven’t won in Italy yet. This is why everyone is waiting for the ATP Finals to be held in Turin.
People are right. It’s true. I have never won in Italy. I’m upset that I couldn’t play in Rome. It’s common to question your favorite player. That is cheering. It will definitely be a stimulus for us. If no one talks about me, it probably means I’m no longer interesting.
Is there anything you think you did wrong this year?
Tennis is important. But I didn’t spend enough time with my loved ones. I need to find that time. Because there are things that once they pass, they never come back.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 in 18 ct yellow gold with white dial, fluted bezel and President bracelet.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II in Oystersteel and Yves gold with black dial and Oyster bracelet. All clothing and accessories are Gucci.
