Jannik Sinner is currently basking in the success of his Australian Open 2024 win. The 22-year-old Italian became the first from his country to win the Majors. Also the third player to beat Djokovic in the Grand Slam semifinals, the adulations for him haven’t stopped yet.
Due to his surge in popularity, a video of him on X is doing the rounds where he asked a typically hypothetical question. Sinner’s answer was his way of paying tribute to F1 legend Lewis Hamilton.
“If you could swap your life with another pro in any other sport, who would it be?” was the question.
“Lewis Hamilton,” Sinner answered without any hesitation.
Following this question, Sinner also said that he loves the sound of a ‘whooshing’ car noise that is going very fast. This just shows his love for the sport and endeavor, and why he wouldn’t mind swapping his life with that of Hamilton’s. Sinner was asked this question as part of a Q&A section from an interview before the Stockholm Open in 2021. In that tournament, Sinner lost to Andy Murray 6-7 (4-7), 3-6 in the second round.
Lewis Hamilton is a British F1 driver who has won the World Championship title seven times. This is a joint-highest record with German legendary driver Michael Schumacher. The tribute was extra special because Sinner, an Italian, is a fan of the Ferrari team.
Whereas Hamilton races for the Mercedes team, the rivals of Ferrari. He has been with the German luxury car brand since 2013 and is continuing this season with them. Previously, Hamilton has also raced for McLaren from 2007 to 2012.
Jannik Sinner’s choice of Hamilton is also a remarkable tribute since there is an ocean of legendary athletes around the world. More so, he didn’t choose anyone from the tennis world, not Rafael Nadal, not Roger Federer, or Novak Djokovic, his three tennis idols. However, it is simply because there is none better than Lewis Hamilton at the moment and Sinner is a huge fan of Formula 1. He was also named ‘Friend of F1’.
Hamilton’s move to Mercedes in 2013 was seen as nothing more than a gamble. This is because the team barely won back then. Little did those experts know that their fortunes would reverse since then.
Hamilton’s move also reunited him with his childhood karting teammate Nico Rosberg, who won the championship in 2016. Eleven years have passed since then and Hamilton is still with the team. He had signed a two-year contract in 2023 with Mercedes to stay till the 2025 season.
However, recent news suggests otherwise. Hamilton might move to Ferrari for the 2025 season. While it’s true he already signed the Mercedes contract till 2025, Ferrari still looks hell-bent on getting the 7-time World Champion on their team. A dispute between Spanish motorsports racing driver Carlos Sainz Jr. and the Ferrari team might be the reason for this attempt to get Hamilton. Although, Hamilton, Ferrari, and Mercedes have all declined to comment on the matter.
Jannik Sinner and Ferrari relationship
Jannik Sinner’s lifelong passion for Formula 1 started with his father and grandfather. They were the ones who instilled in him the passion and drive for car racing growing up. And as an Italian, their entire family naturally took to supporting the Ferrari team. Sinner grew up watching the Grand Prix every Sunday.
But then, soon after, tennis happened. He started taking tennis seriously, and the finals of any tennis tournament happen on a Sunday. That is also the day Grand Prix events take place. This caused an overlap, and his focus shifted towards tennis more.
Sinner still went back and watched the events in highlights. He is today a ‘Friend of F1’ and also visited Maranello’s Enzo Ferrari Museum. He walked through all the classic departments, admiring all the iconic models. Sinner also later visited the Scuderia Ferrari and met Team principal Fred Vasseur.
Jannik Sinner believes his love for both tennis and car racing comes from the fact that they are both lonely sports and an entire team’s effort goes into finding one player’s success. He was finding similarities between his two sports love. He will next play at the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam.
