"I'm from a small house in a small village" - Jannik Sinner makes brutally honest admission about what keeps him humble in life

Jannik Sinner has emphasized his humble beginnings after retaining the Australian Open title in Melbourne this past weekend. The World No. 1 was speaking after a dominant 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over German World No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Fans and pundits are now comparing the Italian to the sport's all-time greats - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

Sinner's hardcourt performances over the last 12 months, which have seen him pocket the last three Major titles on the surface, mark him as an exceptional talent at 23. However, he'll need to improve on other surfaces to mix in that kind of company, having only reached the semifinal stage at Wimbledon and Roland Garros.

Interviewed by Australian Open TV's YouTube channel, and posted on TennisOne's X (formerly Twitter) page, Sinner was quick to play down any suggestions of greatness. He preferred instead to talk about how his humble origins keep him grounded:

“I want to be just a humble person tbh. I always remind myself where I’m from, & I’m from a small house in a small village and an amazing family, which I was very lucky to have, and I still have(😅). I believe we are also people who are very good in what we do, so we are automatically also an inspiration for younger people. But that’s it. We are not changing the world. So why change yourself with success.”

Sinner was born in Sexten, Italy - a small town in the Dolomites in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy. His parents, Johann and Siglinde, ran a hospitality business catering to skiers and hikers before Sinner moved to Bordighera, Italy to train at a tennis academy there.

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Sinner has spoken before about his family's contribution to his career

Jannik Sinner, Australian Open Champion 2025 (Source: Getty)

Sinner has discussed his family before, telling ATPTour.com that his grandparents were also heavily involved in his childhood in Sexten. He paints a picture of a comfortable upbringing in a ski resort, with tennis very much a secondary pastime:

“I have my house here, and here is the other house with [my] grandma and grandpa and they always cooked for me and then after, I had to wear the ski stuff because I went to skiing immediately from two to four, and then twice a week I was playing tennis and that was it."

Sinner's upbringing comes across as very humble and his journey to the top of the game appears assured. Having won the year's first Grand Slam, he'll be looking to Paris next, and if he's to join the pantheon of tennis greats he'll need to carry his undoubted hardcourt prowess onto clay court and grass.