Jannik Sinner has confirmed he will soon launch his own foundation to help others in need.
The world No.1 publically revealed his plans for the first time during an event held by his sponsor, Lavazza, in Turin but has chosen not to go into full details until the foundation is launched. Sinner did not mention when the launch date will be or who it aims to support. Other tennis players who have done similar things in the past include Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“I’m about to launch a Foundation, I don’t want to say anything specific until it’s official,” he told reporters. “Every player has a slightly different vision of how to help people, animals, nature, etc. But it’s a very important point for those in our position”.
Sinner will return to action next week at the ATP Finals which he is aiming to win for the first time in his career. The Italian has already claimed seven titles this season, including both the Australian Open and US Open. Overall, he has won 65 Tour-level matches since the start of January which is the second highest on the men’s circuit after Alexander Zverev (66).
There is also extra motivation for Sinner with the event being a chance for him to claim his first title on home soil since 2019 when he defeated Alex de Minaur to win the Next Gen Finals.
“I’ve had an important journey. That was a great event that made me understand many things,” he commented on his progress over the past five years. “In Turin last year (at the ATP Finals) I played very well, losing in the final, but every year the situation is different. The first step will be to start in the best way possible. The future can’t be predicted, but it will be a very important tournament for me.”
Sinner was denied the ATP Finals title 12 months ago by Djokovic who has withdrawn from this year’s tournament due to injury. The Serbian has won the past two editions.
“Nole has given so much to the Italian public and people wanted to see him play. We are very sorry that he is not here but this is sport, it happens that a player misses tournaments,” Sinner commented on Djokovic’s absence.
“The season has been long and in any case, there are eight great players, we hope it will be a great tournament. Nole will be missed by everyone.”
The 23-year-old will be the top seed in Turin ahead of Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud have also qualified for the draw.
“Obviously you have to be ready one hundred percent straight away because in the first match, you immediately meet one of the best in the world”. He said.
The draw for the ATP Finals will take place on Thursday at around 12.45 p.m CET/6.45 a.m. ET. A live stream will be available at http://www.nittoatpfinals.com.
