Jannik Sinner: “Alcaraz and I are just normal people who want to win tennis matches”
As he storms into the US Open, we speak to the 2025 Wimbledon Champ about winning, watches and what it takes to stay on top
To say it’s been a big few years for Jannik Sinner would be quite the understatement. Ranked, at the time of writing, the ATP world men’s singles No. 1, before 2022, you probably would have been hard-pressed to name the Italian player. Hardly surprising given that, back then, his greatest claims to fame were a clutch of minor ATP titles and crashing out of the fourth round of the French Open against Rafa Nadal.
But the signs of greatness were there. In 2021 Sinner became the first player born in the 2000s to enter the world Top 10 (in the process, causing a slew of tennis fans – yours truly included – to feel absolutely ancient), having slowly but surely beaten a series of world-class players, including David Goffin, Alexander Zverez, and John Isner. The same year he also became the youngest player since Novak Djokovic to win five ATP titles.
Then, in 2023, Sinner led Italy to a Davis Cup win – and the hits just kept coming. “The Davis Cup brings out a lot of emotion because you are playing for your country, which is always an incredible feeling,” he explains. “There is a lot of responsibility, especially with your teammates watching you on court, so it has a different vibe to other tournaments.” Buoyed and confident, Sinner went on to rack up wins against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov – but that Grand Slam title remained elusive.
The year 2024, if you’ll excuse the pun, was a whole new ball game. In January, Sinner shot through the rankings after beating Djokovic and Medvedev to take home the Australian Open trophy. A few months later he beat home favourite Taylor Fritz to the US Open title. The only thorn in his side? Alcaraz. Rivals on court and, apparently, the best of friends off, the pair have traded final wins ever since. Alcaraz triumphs at the French Open, Sinner comes back swinging at Wimbledon, and the No. 1 seed pings back and forth in a particularly thrilling rally.
As the pair prepare to go head-to-head once again at the 2025 US Open, we sit down with Jannik Sinner to talk his meteoric rise to the top of the game – and what it takes to stay there.
The atmosphere at Flushing Meadows is a complete contrast to the other Grand Slam tournaments. At the beginning of my career, I found it quite a tough environment to play in. Now, I’m used to it and, honestly, for me it’s a pleasure to play in front of the American crowd. Every time I go to Flushing Meadows, my performances improve, and I feel better and better.
The US Open was the first Grand Slam where I qualified into the main draw and I played my first-round match against Stan Wawrinka. This was a really important moment for me as it helped me to understand how I could improve. In 2022, Carlos [Alcaraz] and I played each other in a match that lasted more than five hours, which was a great contest, so I have some tough memories from the tournament, but also many good ones.
Carlos and I have a good relationship off the court. We are just normal people who want to win tennis matches. The matches I have played against Carlos have been great contests. I feel fortunate to share these memories with him, and I think we are all looking forward to playing as many matches as possible against each other in the future. We are still really young, and we are just trying to do our best. Let’s see what the future holds for us.
I started playing tennis at a very young age and watched all the great players on TV, which made me start dreaming that hopefully one day it would be me. It’s very special to be able to play on the same courts as these legendary players. Going into the Davis Cup Finals I felt confident, as I was playing some really good tennis, and we managed to win which was an amazing way to end the season.
The win wasn’t just great for me but for Italian tennis as a whole; the sport is very popular in our country at the moment as we have many good players coming through the ranks. Normally, it’s all about football, but now tennis is coming back into focus. I think the most important thing is trying to inspire the younger generation and I’m happy that I can play a little part in this.
Self-belief is such an important part of the process. When you start something new, the results are not always immediate. It may take months or years and that’s what I’ve focused on, being patient, trusting the process and trying to stay as calm as possible. I always had the belief that I could be a good tennis player but it takes time to achieve your goals.
When I was a young child, the player I really looked up to at the time was the Italian player, Andreas Seppi. When I started watching tennis and playing more, Roger Federer had the biggest influence on me as a player – I love his style of play and attitude on court.
If I had to choose one surface, hard court is my favourite. It’s great because there are two Grand Slams in the year played on hard courts, in Australia and the US, so I’m always really excited to be able to compete at those tournaments. Clay and grass are very different and require specific skills, so it’s hard to say which is my favourite between those two.
When you compete at Wimbledon, you can really feel the history, especially when you walk down the stairs of Centre Court because you know you are following in the footsteps of so many legends of the sport. It’s tough to describe the feeling of playing at Wimbledon; it is just special because of its unique tradition and heritage.
Excellence is to do your best, and to work in the best way possible to try and reach perfection. In some ways perfection doesn’t exist, it’s something you are always striving for, because you can always better yourself and improve. As a tennis player, you always have to dream and work hard, and excellence is the kind of thing you can only say you have achieved when you have won many tournaments, which I hope to do.
I have been with Rolex for five years and winning these kind of titles together is one of the nicest feelings. I feel very honoured and privileged. When you win a match, it’s a really nice moment when you put your watch back on and you also see the Rolex clock in the corner of the court. Representing the brand makes me feel part of a perfect family – you get to know and work with so many people who really care about you. Rolex supports excellence across many sports, which I love to see as a sports fan.
