Jannik Sinner did not grow up with tennis courts in his backyard. He grew up with mountains. Born in Innichen in the Italian Dolomites on August 16, 2001, Sinner was a competitive skier until he was 13, when he quietly swapped the slopes for a racquet and never looked back. Now ranked No. 1 in the world and a four-time Grand Slam champion defending his Wimbledon title, Sinner often traces his discipline and drive back to where it all started — his parents, Johann and Siglinde, who spent decades working long shifts at a ski lodge while their son was finding his way.
Who are Jannik Sinner’s parents and what do they do?
Johann and Siglinde Sinner come from South Tyrol, the German-speaking region in northern Italy where Jannik spent his childhood. Both spent years working at the Talschlusshutte Hut ski lodge in Sexten. Johann worked as a chef, while Siglinde was employed as a waitress.
Jannik Sinner’s Parents Johann and Siglinde
Watching his parents work long hours left a lasting impression on Sinner. Their example shaped the mindset that has become one of his biggest strengths on the ATP Tour.Reflecting on his upbringing after winning the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner said, “My parents, they are special, because when I [got] back from school, my parents were not there. They were working. I think that’s the kind of mentality they gave me … If you want to reach something you have to work and this kind of work ethic you can obviously learn, but most of the time it’s the parents. They give it to you.”His father has occasionally joined him on tour as a personal chef, including during the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.“My dad is here. We have a house here. We are all together,” Sinner said at the time. “My dad was a chef [for over] 40 years or more … He knows how to cook and obviously it’s very nice to have him around.”“He is here cooking for us, but it’s not only about cooking,” he added. “To have one [more] member of the family … It’s nice to have him here.”Today, the family also operates the Haus Sinner guest house, where Johann continues helping with the restaurant whenever he is not travelling with his son.
Why doesn’t mom Siglinde watch Jannik Sinner’s matches live?
Siglinde is a devoted tennis mother who sometimes cannot bring herself to watch. During the 2024 Italian Open in Rome, a reporter spotted her pacing outside the venue after Sinner dropped the first set to Tommy Paul. She had already left her seat.“I never watch Jannik’s entire matches live; it rarely happens,” she told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I prefer to stay in front of the TV. My husband stayed — he never has any qualms.”Sinner understands it, even if he has tried to talk her out of it. He told The Athletic that he has reminded her more than once: the worst that happens is he loses a match. “That’s the worst thing that happens,” he said, with a shrug. “Parents, I guess.”His mother attended the French Open in June 2025, where she watched Sinner lose a brutal five-and-a-half-hour final to Carlos Alcaraz. Both she and Johann were then present at Wimbledon the following month when Sinner claimed the title.
How did Jannik Sinner’s parents support his decision to pursue tennis?
When Jannik Sinner was 14, he left the Dolomites for Bordighera on the Italian Riviera to train at the Piatti Tennis Center. It was a significant decision for a teenage boy, and an equally significant one for his parents, who let him go without applying pressure.“I wish that everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose whatever I wanted,” Sinner said after his 2024 Australian Open win. “They never put pressure on me, which for me is maybe the key of why I’m here today.”Moving away young forced Sinner to grow up quickly. He had to learn to cook for himself, manage laundry, and handle independence while most kids his age were still at home. He acknowledges now that it was harder on his parents than he perhaps realised at the time.“For my parents to leave their son at 14 years old — it’s also not easy,” he said. “They are the perfect parents. They are awesome.”The Sinners do not travel to every tournament. The US Open, held during the final weeks of the Dolomites tourist season, almost always rules Johann out. When asked whether his family would be in his box in New York last year, Sinner kept it simple: “Too far, too busy.”That grounded, unpretentious approach runs through everything about this family and it shows up every time Sinner walks onto a court.
