19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final and put on an impressive display against Rafael Nadal despite losing in straight sets.
Tennishead looks at five things you should know about the young Italian.
1) Sinner stunned the field to win the NextGen finals in 2019
Jannik Sinner overcame Alex de Minaur in the final and became the third and youngest winner of the NextGen finals. The Italian entered the event as a wildcard.
2) Sinner raised money during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sinner found several ways to support Italian efforts in their fight against the coronavirus, donating €12,500 to Cesvi, a humanitarian organisation to help with medical emergencies.
3) Sinner is a former Skiing Champion
Like many youngsters entering the ATP tour, Sinner didn’t have a conventional route into tennis with his focus very much on skiing until five years ago. The Italian, who did not touch a racquet for a year at the age of seven, played just two days per week before moving to Riccardo Piatti’s academy aged 13.
4) Sinner became the youngest quarter-finalist at a Grand Slam since 2006
Sinner beat the likes of Alexander Zverev en route to his first Grand Slam quarter-final, before falling short to the eventual winner Rafael Nadal in straight sets. Sinner became the first man to make the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in his first appearance since the 13-time Champion in 2005, and the youngest quarter-finalist since Novak Djokovic in 2006.
5) Sinner is currently the youngest player in the ATP top 100
Sinner has had the best year of his career and has soared to a career-high ranking of 46 as a result. The Italian is the only teenager ranked in the top 100, with Felix Auger-Aliassime the next youngest aged 20.
