How Jannik Sinner Chose Tennis Over A Skiing Career - All About Alpine Town In Italy Where The World No.1 Grew Up

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Jannik Sinner could have being a skier if he had not focused on tennis from the early days. Thanks to his Alpine roots.

Though Sinner spends most of his year traveling the globe on the ATP Tour, he ensures he gets time to return to his hometown in Italy and be with his family whenever possible to recharge.“Of course everyone is more happy if I win” Jannik told The Athletic and went on to add that“But at the same time, even if I lose, they're happy that I come back, that I want to see them, that I have a great time with my friends, and people I really, really care about.”

So it was something very, very nice in both ways. I believe in important moments to come back home to see the people I love, he goes on to add.

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Jannik was raised in Sesto. The picturesque town in northern Italy's South Tyrol region near the Austrian border. The town, also know as Sexten, lies at an elevation of 3,852 feet and is nestled at the foot of the Italian Dolomites.

Sesto is a resort town and tourists flock into the town throughout the year. During the summer, the Dolomites attracts plenty of outdoor adventurers looking to go hiking or mountain biking, and in the winter, they'll be back for skiing and snowboarding. Apart from that, tourists can also visit the nearby historic village and a Christmas market in December

Also Read | Sinner claims straight-sets win against Djokovic in Wimbledon 2025 semifinals Sinner's passion for skiing

Jannik picked up tennis at the age of seven, but like other children in Sesto, he has always been a passionate skier. In fact, he won a national title in giant slalom in 2008, the same year he turned seven. By 13, he chose to leave northern Italy for the Riviera, where he joined a tennis academy to pursue the sport more seriously.

“The reason why I chose tennis was, in tennis you can make mistakes. You can lose points but you can still win the match,” Jannik told Vogue in 2024.“In skiing, if you make one mistake, one big mistake, you cannot win.”

All about his family

Jannik's parents, Siglinde and Johann met each other while working in a ski resort. When Jannik made the decision to leave home, his parents were working at a local ski lodge at the time, where his mother was working as a server and his father was a cook. He has long credited his work ethic to his parents.

The family now operates their own guesthouse, Haus Sinner, with Johann overseeing the restaurant and Siglinde managing several of the family's apartments.

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