"When I went back from school, my parents were working" - Jannik Sinner on what makes his parents 'special' and how they shaped his mentality

Jannik Sinner has attributed his mentality and work ethic to his parents following his triumph at the 2024 Australian Open.

Sinner mounted a stunning comeback to beat 27-year-old Russian star Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final. It was the first Grand Slam title of the Italian's career.

An interview with Sinner was shared by "TennisONE app" on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. In the interview, the 22-year-old explained that his parents were special and had a significant influence on his career, emphasizing that they instilled a strong work ethic in him from a young age.

Sinner said that after returning from school, his parents would still be at work, while he engaged in ski, tennis, and sometimes football training.

“I guess my parents they are special because, when I went back from school, my parents were not there, they were working, and I used to go always to ski because I had ski training from 2-4 and when I came back around 4:30 my mom used to be at home but I went to play tennis, sometimes a little bit of football,” Jannik Sinner said.

Before his victory over Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final, Sinner defeated Botic van de Zandschulp and Jesper De Jong in the first and second rounds. In the third round the Italian knocked out Sebastian Baez, and he then defeated Karen Khachanov in the round of 16.

Sinner got the better of World No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, before ending Novak Djokovic's 33-match winning streak at the Australian Open in the semifinals.

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“I was not that much at home and I think that's the kind of mentality that they gave me” - Jannik Sinner

2024 Australian Open - Getty Images

In the same interview Jannik Sinner also said his parents taught him that pursuing dreams required dedicated effort.

“I was not that much at home and I think that's the kind of mentality that they gave me, you know, if you want to reach something you have to work and this kind of work ethic, is what obviously you can learn but most of the time is because of the parents they give it to you,” Jannik Sinner said.

Jannik Sinner is the third Italian man to win a Grand Slam, and the first to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Sinner was 22 years and 165 days old when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in this year's final, making him the youngest Australian Open champion since Novak Djokovic, who won the title at the age of 20 years and 250 days in 2008.