Jannik Sinner in Turin, for the ATP Finals, which begins on Novermber 9 | Image Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Jannik Sinner, who arguably had the best season of his career so far, will take to the court in the upcoming ATP Finals as the favorite and defending champion of the prestigious tournament. Most importantly, he will be heavily supported by the home crowd in Turin, who have always made their presence felt.
Despite being brought up in the small town of Sexten in Northern Italy, Sinner’s mother tongue is German, which is specific to that region. Having already arrived in Turin, the World No. 1 expressed how glad he was to have been born in Italy rather than anywhere else, which could have been possible under different circumstances.
"Proud to be Italian. I am very happy to have been born in Italy and not in Austria, or anywhere else, because in my opinion, this country deserves much more, even than what I'm doing,” said Sinner during his visit to the Candiolo Cancer Research and Treatment Institute, as reported by Sky Sports.
For those unfamiliar, he was raised in Tyrol, an Italian province just 15 kilometers from the Austrian border, where the Austrian province of East Tyrol begins.
"Some say that South Tyrol is different, Sicily is totally different, but that's also our fortune. Our strength lies in our differences,” he added.
Jannik Sinner has led Italy to two consecutive Davis Cup titles - in 2023 and 2024 | Image Credit: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS
Sinner will be chasing his second ATP Finals title when the event begins on November 9. Having already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, this tournament offers him a great opportunity to end the season on a high note. However, he has decided to skip the Davis Cup this time around.
"At the end of the season, a week is really a long time for us athletes. If you have an extra week of preparation, it is incredibly important, especially for the start of the season, but also in the long run to prevent injuries,” stated the top-ranked tennis player in the world.
"So, for me this year, there was no doubt whatsoever that it was the right decision. Last year, I did not play in Paris, and I wanted to play the Davis Cup because I promised it to (Matteo) Berrettini when we won in 2023," he added
The Italian led his nation to two consecutive Davis Cup titles in 2023 and 2024, and it would have been a hat-trick if he had won this year. The Davis Cup finals will take place in Italy itself, in the northern city of Bologna, not far from Turin. Italy, under the guidance of Filippo Volandri, is set to face Austria in the quarterfinals on November 19.
Lorenzo Musetti will be Italy's most powerful weapon in Davis Cup 2025 | Image Credit: IMAGO / PsnewZ
Strong teams like Spain, France, and Germany will also feature in the competition, with seeded players Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev also set to compete. Interestingly, USA, the most successful team in the history of the Davis Cup, have not qualified for the quarterfinals.
Italy will heavily rely on ninth-ranked Lorenzo Musetti as their main player, although Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini will also be looking to make strong cases for themselves.
Despite his absence, Sinner believes Italy remains a strong team with enough firepower to be crowned champions for a third consecutive year.
"Italy has an incredible team even without me, and the thing I don't like is that no one talks about it. The possibility of winning is high," said the tennis star.
Jannik Sinner went to a charity event at the Candiolo Cancer Research and Treatment Institute, in Turin | Image Credit: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS
Jannik Sinner showed the world a different side of himself during his visit to the Candiolo Institute, where he inaugurated the "An Ace for Research" charity campaign, launched by the Piedmont Foundation for Cancer Research and Intesa Sanpaolo during the tournament.
Intesa Sanpaolo, the second-largest bank in Italy, will donate €100 to the Candiolo Institute for every ace scored during the ATP Finals, with the amount increasing to €500 in the semi-finals and €1,000 in the final. The champion was shown some of the technologies funded by charity campaigns, and he was quite impressed.
"Incredible, my goodness. Incredible. I only play tennis; you do an extraordinary job," quoted Jannik Sinner after glimpsing the equipment in the Angiography room.
The much-anticipated ATP Finals will take place at the Inalpi Arena from November 9–16. Apart from Sinner, his long-standing rival Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, USA’s Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur will also compete in the singles event
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the Italian doubles pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, while Great Britain’s Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool will start as the favorites to clinch the title.
