- Italian 22-year-old stunned the Melbourne Park crowd
- Came from two sets to love down to claim victory
- Revealed why his parents could not make the trip
When Italian tennis star Janniik Sinner climbed into the stands to celebrate his Australian Open win with his entourage in the player’s 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 the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Sinner praised both of his parents and revealed it was their support that had inspired him to give away competitive skiiing and commit to tennis as a teenager.
‘They always gave me everything, and they never put pressure on myself, which for me is maybe the key to why I’m here,’ he said.
‘They are the perfect parents. Obviously I know only them but they are awesome.’
But his Australian coach Darren Cahill revealed that his parents could not be there because they remained home to work in a ski resort to continue to support the family.
‘We’re a little bit sad they couldn’t be here but it’s such a long way to come from Italy for the semis or the final and you never quite know,’ Cahill said.
‘And I think they believe in jinxing a little bit, you know, they don’t want to get on the plane and come and ruin the mojo or everything.’
Italy’s Jannik Sinner celebrates with coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi after taking his first grand slam title on Sunday night
A younger Sinner is pictured with his parents Johann (Hanspeter) and Siglinde Sinner, and brother Marc Sinner
Sinner was quick to climb into the crowd to celebrate with loved ones, but unfortunately his parents could not make the trip
The other half of Sinner’s coaching staff Simone Vagnozzi said his parents would support him at tournaments whenever they were able outside of their work commitments.
‘If we have to speak about parents, the parents of Jannik are wonderful, really wonderful,’ he said.
‘Sometimes they come to the tournaments but they do not speak one word about tennis.
‘They are just there, they enjoy the life of the tournament but never come to us and say, ‘Oh, you know, the serve, well, you know, this, you know, the break point’.
‘Right now it’s not easy to find those kind of families because, with YouTube, everyone is a coach, especially in Italy. So, we are really lucky.’
Vagnozzi also recognised what role models Sinner’s parents are for the 22-year-old.
‘The education that Jannik has — you saw every day on court. The racquet never went down one time,’ he said.
‘I think for the Italian it’s really a really good example to have.’
This was echoed by Cahill.
‘[Like] what you see with Jannik off the court, he is incredibly respectful on the court,’ he said.
‘Whether it be to the umpires or the ballkids or lines people or anybody around — the transport drivers, the people at the restaurants, he’s been brought up really well and he’s got his feet on the ground.
‘His parents are exactly the same as him. His dad’s got that goofy smile that Jannik has.’
