Jannik Sinner enjoyed a special moment before winning the US Open.
Jannik Sinner shed light on a special conversation he had before the US Open final (Image: Getty)
Jannik Sinner admitted he had “chills” after a special conversation with his coach.
Darren Cahill made a touching statement about the Italian’s parents which stayed with him as he headed into the US Open final.
Sinner is very close with his family – he previously dedicated his Australian Open victory to his mum and dad. And after winning the US Open, he paid tribute to his seriously ill aunt.
The world No. 1 was the overwhelming favourite going into Sunday’s championship match. His opponent, Taylor Fritz, had never made it so far in a Grand Slam and had the pressure of trying to become the first American man to win a Major in 21 years.
Meanwhile, Sinner already had a Slam trophy under his belt and was the top seed. But the 23-year-old still needed a pep talk from his coach ahead of the match and it proved significant. “The best compliment I got was from Darren before the final,” the Italian said.
Relaying Cahill’s heartwarming message, Sinner continued: “He said: ‘Do you know who the two people who are most proud of you are? Your parents.’ That gave me chills. Him being a father, it had a special effect on me because he knows exactly what I’ve been through.”
Darren Cahill told Jannik Sinner how proud his parents were (Image: Getty)
The top seed took that sentiment into the match, where managed to recover from a wobble in the third set and won the last four games in a row, beating Fritz 6-3 6-4 7-5. Stepping up to address Arthur Ashe Stadium as the newly-crowned champion, Sinner dedicated his triumph to his aunt.
“I love tennis, I practise a lot for this kind of stages but I also realise that off the court there is a life,” he explained. “I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt because she is really not feeling well health-wise, I don’t know how much longer I’ll have her in my life.
“It’s so nice that I can share positive moments still with her. She was a very important person for my life and she still is. So if that would be the biggest wish, I would wish everyone the best health to everyone but unfortunately it’s not possible.”
Jannik Sinner dedicated his US Open win to his aunt (Image: Getty)
Appearing on the Today Show the morning after winning his second Major, Sinner elaborated on his relationship with his aunt. “It’s a very difficult moment,” he said.
“She is a very important person in my life because my parents, they used to work all the time, and every time when I came back home after school or whatever and my parents weren’t there, my aunt sometimes arrived.”
It’s not the first time Sinner has credited his family for his Grand Slam success. When he won the Australian Open in January, he told the crowd: “I wish that everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose whatever I wanted to. Even when I was younger, I played also some other sports and then they never put pressure on myself. And I wish that this freedom was possible for as many young kids as possible so thank you so much for my parents.”
