Page 12 - Italian-American Herald - August 2024

12 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | AUGUST2024 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
LO SAPEVI CHE? (DID YOU KNOW?)
How an Italian prodigy became the world’s top-ranked tennis player at age 22
By Lou Thomas
Jannik Sinner was born in San Candido near the Dolomites in Northern Italy near the Austrian border on Aug. 16, 2001. His parents
Hanspeter and Siglinde work as a chef and waitress together at Talschlusshutte restaurant which is renowned for South Tyrolean cuisine along with skiing and mountain climbing
in Sesto-Val-Fiscalina. He speaks German, Italian and English.
When Jannik was 3, his father stated
that he was a natural in football (soccer) and skiing. He won the Giant Slalom at the age of 8 as one of Italy’s top Junior Skiers. He started to play tennis, his Dad’s favorite sport, at age 7. When he was 13 he became a professional.
The former Italian tennis pro Alex Vittur made him an offer: Move to Bordighera,
on the Italian Riviera, and train full time at Riccardo Piatti’s tennis academy. Presently, Sinner is currently being coached by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. Cahill joined the
Italian’s team as coach. Cahill, a former world No. 22, has worked with Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.
The challenge to succeed was part of
the draw for Sinner. So was the solitary nature of the game. “When playing tennis, you are alone, you have to try to find a solution by yourself,” he explains. “Even if it’s tougher, that’s why I chose it.” Known for his assertiveness on the court, gameplay, for Sinner, is an electric charge. “The pressure gives you goosebumps,” he says.
Sinner has won 13 single titles on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour. His first triumph on the court was in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2020. He followed this with his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne in 2021. He added three more titles in 2021 in Washington, Antwerp and a second time in Sofia. He won four more titles in 2023.
He won the Miami Open in March 2024 and appeared in the semi-final in the French open in May 2024. Subsequently, June 10, 2024, Sinner officially became the first Italian to achieve No.1 the highest recognition in the tennis world.
After the announcement he received
many congratulatory accolades from past tennis greats: Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Andy Murray and even his idol Roger Federer.
Sinner has earned over $25 million
in career prize money. He also has many sponsors: Head, Gucci, Lavazza, Alfa Romeo, etc. In social media he has 2.5 million followers on Instagram and countless
more on X (Twitter). In addition, during COVID-19 he led a pizza photo contest to raise money for charity.
Sinner was in the semi-finals in Wimbledon in 2023. In this year’s Wimbledon, he advanced to the quarter- finals before leaving the court during a match against Russian player Daniil Medvedev in an apparent health scare. IAH
Adesso lo sa.
Lou Thomas was born and raised in Philadelphia, in a family with origins in Abruzzo. He is a Temple graduate who has been teaching Italian for 20 years at all levels. He attained a master’s degree in teaching Italian from Rutgers University. The sounds of Vivaldi and Jovanotti fill his classroom. His favorite quote is “Il vino e’ la poesia della terra.”
Jannik Sinner says he was drawn to the solitary nature of tennis. | WIKIMEDIA
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