Sinner is the future and his recent victory at the Australian Open proves it. Jannik Sinner is twenty-two, Italian and currently the fourth strongest tennis player in the world. Born in 2001, he belongs to the Gen Z. And he’s a ray of hope for the future of sport. Not only in terms of numbers, results and wins, but also of values.
His behavior inside and outside the field proves that Sinner is the future. A future where being a champion means first of all being human, able to think beyond ourselves and have principles.
Over the years, we got used to consider sport champions as celebrities. Overpaid stars with an ego sometimes even bigger than their trophies. People who like to exceed, bad role models for the new generations.
Jannik Sinner shows that Gen Z might rethink sport. Interviewed after winning the Davis Cup, he didn’t praise himself. He sent a support message to Tathiana Garbin, captain of the female national team, who is fighting a tumor. Last year, he also auctioned an autographed racket to raise money for a child affected by rare disease.
Win or lose, he never discredits the adversary. Every time he faced Djokovic, the world’s number one, he didn’t despair. Instead, he said he was grateful for such an honor.
He always shares his merits and has no will of protagonism. He always thanks his team and his family. Despite being now a world-famous champion, he said that he feels very lucky when he manages to have breakfast with his parents.
And he’s ready to buck the trend in order to stay true to his principles. He warned his peers against social media, saying “the truth is not there”. Invited to Sanremo, he declined to stay focused on training: “I’m not capable of singing or dancing”.
And he’s also a reader: he takes a book with him in every tournament!
