As the tennis world eagerly awaits the start of Wimbledon, one player holds the edge over others. Former World No.1 Andy Roddick believes that current world no. 1 Jannik Sinner is the favorite to win the grass court Grand Slam. This has got to do with his background and one particular hobby in his growing-up years in Innichen, South Tyrol. Co-incidentally, Roger Federer has had a similar interest over the years which helped him become a champion tennis player.
Andy Roddick was particularly impressed with how Jannik Sinner won the Halle Open recently. The grass on the outdoor courts of Halle isn’t unlike any other tennis court. Owing to the structure of the arena, the grass doesn’t get enough sunlight. It also rains quite a lot in there. Due to all these reasons, the arena becomes sort of dome-shaped so the grass behaves in such a manner as if one is playing in a ‘grass-indoors’ kind of surface.
Roddick was quoted as saying on his ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast –
“I know Halle is the slipperiest grass court there is because it’s half indoors. It’s like a domed roof where – you have to have direct sunlight for a grass court to be perfect. Halle doesn’t have that benefit, right? It rains, they have to protect, they have to put an event on.
“I know (Sinner) was a a former skier when he was young and I was actually, uh, playing golf with Kevin Anderson this morning and he goes, ‘That ski thing. Has to matter on grass when you’re kind of getting in and out of cuts.’ He goes, ‘That’s just like a natural thing for him.’”
Therefore, players with great athleticism are able to maneuver the tennis ball with much more ease. Jannik Sinner did that perfectly, coming up with a mixture of grass and indoor tennis.
Andy Roddick added that Jannik Sinner’s movements on grass could be the key factor that separates him from his competitors. And according to the 2003 US Open champion, the factor in the Italian’s favor is his proficiency in skiing, which he developed from an early age itself.
Sinner grew up in Innichen, a place in Italy that sees heavy snowfall every year. This created the perfect environment for skiing, a sport that Sinner picked up at the age of 12. He also won a Slalom Championship at that age and was once very close to pursuing it as a career option.
Owing to all those years of skiing, Sinner’s movement on any court, let alone grass, is exemplary. His slides, control on the surface, agility, and athleticism, are next to none as those are skills that are primarily required for skiing too.
One of the legends of the game, Roger Federer was no different. Although Federer wanted to be a soccer star, skiing was a big part of his formative years in Basel. His motion on grass courts over the years is a fine example of his skiing background.
With a record 8 Wimbledon trophies and 10 Halle Open titles, Federer became a legend on the surface. And now Jannik Sinner too has a chance to follow in his footsteps. There is one other player who had a similar experience growing up and Sinner could face him at the Wimbledon 2024.
Besides Jannik Sinner and Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic Is a Terrific Skier Too
Novak Djokovic grew up in Belgrade in Serbia, and despite tennis running in his family, skiing played a huge part in his life too. Since his parents ran several businesses at the ski resort Kapaonik, Djokovic grew up sliding down the slopes of the hill quite a lot.
Just like Sinner, he could’ve also been a skier but chose tennis at a very young age. However, the skills he accrued from skiing have always been on display during his tennis matches. With a wide enough stance and ability to slide on any surface, Djokovic’s agility is otherworldly.
Interestingly, Roddick did not mention Djokovic in his conversation about grass and Sinner. Nevertheless, the American could be right about Sinner having an edge. The star player from Italy now has the chance to win back-to-back grass titles in Halle and Wimbledon.
