Who are Jannik Sinner’s parents? How Johann and Siglinde Sinner gave him the freedom to become a Grand Slam winner
Jannik Sinner’s parents gave their son the freedom to choose his own path in life and it has paid off with the Italian going on to dominate tennis.
Sinner fulfilled his early promise as he won his maiden Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open with an incredible come-from-behind victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final as he won 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
In the process, he became the first Italian man to win a major since Adriano Panatta won the 1976 French Open while he was also only the third Italian man to win a Slam after Panatta and two-time Roland Garros champion Nicola Pietrangeli.
During the post-match trophy presentation ceremony in Melbourne, Sinner delivered a touching moment as he highlighted just how special his parents Johann Sinner and Siglinde Sinner have been throughout his career.
“I wish everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose whatever I wanted to, even when I was younger,” he said.
“I made also some other sports and they never put pressure on me, and I wish this freedom is possible for as many young kids as possible. Thank you so much to my parents.”
A few months later he rose to No 1 in the ATP Rankings, becoming the first Italian to achieve the feat, while he went on to become a two-time Grand Slam winner later in the year when he won the US Open.
In January 2025, two majors became three as he successfully defended his Australian Open crown.
The freedom from his parents certainly played a major role.
So who are Jannik Sinner’s parents Johann Sinner and Siglinde Sinner?
The Sinner family hails from the northern Italian region of South Tyrol, which borders Austria to the east and west with the Swiss canton of Graubünden to the west.
Jannik was born on August 16, 2001 to Johann Sinner and Siglinde Sinner in the San Candido region in northern Italy. The tennis player has a younger brother named Marc, who has mostly shied away from the media.
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Both Johann and Siglinde worked at a ski lodge, although they initially worked at a restaurant, but their love for the slopes have always been clear and they introduced skiing to their children from a young age.
Siglinde later started teaching skiing while Johann was a lumberjack.
Naturally, Jannik also took up skiing and many believe he could have become a world champion skier had he chosen that as a career as he won several prestigious events during his youth.
But as Jannik himself stated, Johann and Siglinde didn’t put any pressure on him as he also enjoyed tennis, football and other sports. In the end, he opted to become a professional tennis player.
It all worked at as he would go on to become a multiple Grand Slam singles champion and world No 1.
But that may not have been possible had Johann Sinner and Siglinde Sinner not allowed their son to follow his dreams.
And is coach Darren Cahill perhaps summed it up best after his 2024 US Open title run.
“The best compliment I got was from Darren before the final,” Sinner revealed. “He said: ‘Do you know who the two people who are most proud of you are? Your parents.’ That gave me chills. Him being a father, it had a special effect on me because he knows exactly what I’ve been through.”
Johann and Siglinde don’t often travel to tournaments, but they were in Turin when Jannik won the 2024 ATP Finals.
With more big finals on the horizon, the duo will no doubt attend more matches to witness their son lifting major trophies.
