Where is Jannik Sinner from?
Last Updated on October 31, 2025
Hello there! Let’s chat all about the fantastic tennis star, Jannik Sinner, and where this incredible athlete calls home. It’s quite a fascinating story, really!
Jannik Sinner hails from the beautiful, mountainous region of South Tyrol in Northern Italy. Specifically, he was born in Innichen (which is also known as San Candido), a small, scenic town close to the Austrian border. He actually grew up in the nearby town of Sexten (or Sesto-Val-Fiscalina), nestled in the Dolomites.
This part of Italy is quite unique because it has a strong mix of Italian and German-speaking populations, and that really shaped Jannik’s early years. It’s reported that German was his mother tongue growing up! Because of this background, he’s quite the linguist, also speaking fluent Italian and English as his tennis career has taken off globally.
The environment where Jannik grew up was deeply tied to winter sports. In fact, before he became a global tennis sensation, he was a seriously talented alpine skier! Can you believe it? He was a national champion in Giant Slalom back in 2008 at a very young age, and he competed seriously in skiing until about age 12. He still enjoys hitting the slopes during the offseason! He once noted the difference: in skiing, one mistake ends your run quickly, whereas in tennis, you have more time to adjust, which he enjoyed about the sport he ultimately chose.
It wasn’t until around age seven that he started playing tennis because his father, Johann, really liked the sport. Even then, tennis was only his third priority, behind skiing and football (soccer), which he also enjoyed and played for a local club. At the age of 13, a pivotal moment arrived: Jannik decided to commit fully to tennis. This meant leaving his mountain home behind to move to Bordighera on the Italian Riviera to train under the guidance of the legendary coach Riccardo Piatti, who had worked with Novak Djokovic early in his career. Imagine a young teenager moving across the country to chase a dream! His parents, Johann and Siglinde, who worked in the local hospitality industry, supported this big step, which fostered a great sense of independence in him.
Jannik’s journey through the professional ranks has been nothing short of meteoric. He didn’t exactly light up the junior rankings, but that was by design—he focused on building his game for the long haul. He turned pro in 2018 and quickly started making waves. He was the first player born in the 2000s to break into the ATP Top 10!
His success has sparked what many call “The Sinner Effect” in Italy, reviving fierce national enthusiasm for tennis. He is now celebrated as a national hero, being the second Italian male player to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era, following the great Adriana Panatta in 1976.
