Jannik Sinner’s history started in the mountains of South Tyrol, where the youngster played several sports before finding his true calling in tennis. At the age of 22, he has already become a star, sparking an unexpected “Tennis Renaissance” on home soil.
The fact that he reached the #2 spot in the official ATP Rankings – the best in the history of Italian tennis – can hardly be overlooked.
Moreover, the Italian can also boast 13 titles at the major tournaments: six ATP 250, four ATP 500, two Masters 1000 (Montreal and Miami), a Davis Cup (Italy won last November in Málaga against Australia) and, without a doubt, the most special and coveted trophy: a Grand Slam at the Australian Open with a five-set victory over Russian player Daniil Medvedev. The consecration in Melbourne, marked a new stage in his journey, accompanied by the crowd’s cheers at the popular Rod Laver Arena. It also made him the most successful Italian tennis player in the Open era.
In a short period of time, a mass phenomenon and collective hysteria have been created around Jannik’s persona - a great sportsman and, above all, a humble and enormously talented human being, driven by a strong desire to achieve his professional goals.
This phenomenon is better known as the “Sinner effect”, as many people have dubbed it. Furthermore, his recent successes on the court have undoubtedly benefited the social, economic and sporting fabric of the Bel Paese.
According to a report by Italpress - at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin alone – where Sinner lost in the final to world #1 Novak Djokovic – about 174,402 tickets were sold and all sessions were sold out, generating an economic impact of 306.3 million euros and a tax revenue of 65.9 million.
Sinner's impact on tennis
The “Sinner effect” was also felt at the 2024 Australian Open. As reported by Italian magazine Panorama, the prestigious tournament’s final attracted 1,914,000 viewers with a share of 18%, but about 2.6 million people tuned in at 1:31 pm to watch Sinner’s match point on tv.
While the Italian tennis movement has been steadily growing for the past 15 years, Jannik Sinner’s contribution has been felt especially in recent years, accelerating the growth of the sport on a national lavel. His explosion has led to a 233% increase in ticket sales for the upcoming 2024 ATP Finals.
The same thing happened at the Rome Open last May, even though he wasn’t able to play: 51,000 tickets had already been sold by the time Sinner won his first Grand Slam on January 28th 2024.
“Victory belongs to the most tenacious”
These are the iconic words that can be found inside the widely known Philippe Chatrier court, where the biggest fights to get into the Tennis Gotha take place.
Sinner officially returned to the court after 27 days and beat the American Christopher Eubanks in straight sets on his Paris debut.
It was a positive first test indeed for Jannik, who felt no discomfort in his hip after the injury he suffered at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Sinner’s words were deeply honest and he showed moderate confidence about his conditions: "I am happy to be back on the court. Roland Garros is a special tournament for me because it was my first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam. I try to improve every day and I am happy with my performance today. Thanks to everyone for helping me and supporting me. I have improved so much in the last few months. I am just happy to be here and play tennis”.
Next up was Sinner’s game against Richard Gasquet. The pair had already met at Indian Wells and Halle, with the Italian winning both matches. Once again, he proved to be too strong for the Frenchman and won the applause of the Parisian crowd with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 victory in two hours and sixteen minutes.
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