(Credit: @janniksin/Instagram)
After Jannik Sinner’s win in the Davis Cup on Sunday, it's hard to overstate what a year the 23-year-old Rolex brand ambassador from South Tyrol — the German-speaking region of Italy that borders Switzerland and Austria — has had.
Sinner, who was signed by Rolex at the age of 18, has become the first tennis player ever to win two Slams, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup in the same season. No one previously had ever managed to achieve this milestone, not even Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.
When Sinner reached the No. 1 ATP spot in June, Federer advised him to enjoy the view from the top. For Rolex, the ultimate goal of sponsorship is not just to find a winner — it sponsors more athletes in tennis than in any other sport — but to find someone who will embody the brand's values for a lifetime: a Federer, a Jack Nicklaus, a Jackie Stewart.
Speaking on “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, Roddick said, “He is the most relaxed person I've ever seen beside of Roger [Federer] before a Slam final. It feels like he has this very quiet confidence.”
Earlier this year, Sinner faced allegations of doping after he tested positive for traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol — less than a billionth of a gram — on March 10 in Indian Wells, Calif., and again on March 18. Initially, he was suspended from tennis, but the suspension was later overturned on appeal.
Sinner may have reached the top ranking less than six months ago, but already he looks untouchable. With 11,800 ATP points, he has 4,000 more than the next two players.