THE year of 2024 will live long in the memory for Jannik Sinner.
He dumped Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open semi-finals then came from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.
That secured the star his maiden Grand Slam title at the age of 22 – and became the first Italian man to win a major since 1976.
Sinner then backed that up with titles in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle – as well as the French Open semi-finals – to overtake Djokovic as the world No1 and therefore make him top seed for Wimbledon.
And during that Roland Garros run, that was stopped by champion Carlos Alcaraz, he revealed his new girlfriend.
Sinner was spotted out at dinner with fellow tennis ace Anna Kalinskaya during the 2024 French Open.
And as the rumours started to swirl, reporters asked him whether they were dating – and he confirmed they were.
Glamorous Russian Kalinskaya previously went out with Nick Kyrgios before their acrimonious split but the new pairing are just one of many tennis power couples on the tour.
Before getting with his current girlfriend, Sinner was in an on-off four-year relationship with glamorous model and influencer Maria Braccini.
However, Sinner understandably prefers to keep his personal life away from the public eye – not posting much with Kalinskaya or his family – his brother, chef dad and waitress mother.
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He said: “Whether or not I am with a girl will never be known on social media, because I want to keep my private life private.
“I don’t need to post a photo to show whether I’m engaged. I never posted pictures with my parents, maybe one with my brother.”
Sinner began playing tennis aged just three – but quit four years later to focus on his other passion: skiing.
Tennis even dropped to his third sport, behind football, while he became one of the top-ranked junior skiers in Italy.
But aged 13, Sinner decided to prioritise tennis, moving away from his family’s home to train full-time.
He told the ATP website: “There are a lot of ski slopes just literally outside of my front door.
“I remember the first time I went skiing. My brother was having some lessons and I saw him and I wanted to go but my mum told me, ‘Not today.’
“I kept crying to her and asking and then she said, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ They were expecting me to go once and then I would go home. But I stayed all day until they closed the slopes. Then I went every day and loved it.
“One year I won many trophies when skiing, but then the year after I felt that physically, the others were so much stronger.
“I went out twice and didn’t feel comfortable anymore. I really loved playing tennis because everything was from my side. I had my head under control, which in skiing is very tough.”
Sinner didn’t feature massively on the junior circuit but went pro in 2018 when he was still only 16.
Sinner continued to make steady incremental progress, winning the 2019 NextGen Finals and his first ATP Tour title in November 2020 either side of breaking into the world’s top 100.
In 2022, he made the brave and sudden call to shake up his long-term coaching team and bring in Darren Cahill.
It proved a successful partnership as he claimed his first Masters 1000 title in August 2023, a month after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.
And his stunning end to the season – sparked by throwing up in a courtside bin in China – saw him finish as the runner-up at the ATP Finals, carry Italy to Davis Cup glory by coming back from match points down against Djokovic and end the year as the world No4.
Sinner’s swashbuckling style, including his venomous forehand and incredible movement around the court, have earned himself plenty of cash – £18million by June 2024.
But it has also seen him rack up a host of followers – including 2.6million on Instagram and his very own fan club, who Sinner joked are even more famous than him.
The Carota Boys are regularly spotted at Sinner’s matches in their brilliant carrot costumes – a reference to Sinner’s orange hair and the time he ate an entire carrot during a changeover.
But while his passionate supporters are willing to deck themselves out in bright fancy dress, Sinner is far more classy.
No wonder, too, when he has been picked up by Italian fashion giants Gucci.
Sinner walks out on to court for each match with a custom-made duffel bag worth thousands of pounds.
The huge AC Milan fan, paraded at an adoring San Siro, boasts a host of other sponsorships, too, with Rolex, Nike, Head and Lavazza among them.
Sinner – whose nickname of ‘Fox’ at school inspired his signature logo – has also had a long-term partnership with Alfa Romeo.
But now he appears to be flirting with the top dog for Italian supercars: Ferrari.
Sinner visited the Ferrari HQ and factory and the flame-haired sensation even got a go behind the wheel of the famous Prancing Horse.
Arguably there is one endorsement even more quintessentially Italian than even Gucci or Ferrari, though.
And that is with iconic cheese brand Parmigiano Reggiano.
But there is not much else cheesy about young Jannik Sinner.
He has already climbed to the top of the world rankings, is a Grand Slam champion, is building an epic rivary with Alcaraz and and is fluent in three languages.
And he’ll no doubt be needing some more Gucci bags very soon to carry around his growing collection of trophies…
