Jannik Sinner opens up on what he'd 'realistically' be doing if he wasn't a tennis player

Jannik Sinner has given an insight into what career path he would have "realistically" gone down had it not been for the game of tennis.

The 24-year-old Italian, who is the current world No 2 behind Carlos Alcaraz, grew up in the small mountain town of Sesto, near the Austrian border, and had lofty ambitions from an early age.

He started skiing at the age of three and went on to win a championship in giant slalom when he was eight years old, before becoming a national runner-up at the age of 12.

Sinner was easily one of the best junior skiers in the country but as he continued to excel on the slopes, he decided to put down the poles in favour of a career on the tennis court.

The rest, as they say, is history. Sinner has won 26 ATP Tour–level singles titles, including four majors – the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025, the US Open in 2024, and his all-time favourite, Wimbledon in 2025.

Sinner was a talented skier growing up. Image credit: Getty

So the question remains – if tennis hadn't worked out, what would Sinner be doing now?

His father, Johann, was the chef at the Talschlusshutte restaurant in Sesto-Val-Fiscalina, a picturesque location in the mountains of northeast Italy. His mother, Siglinde, was a server.

Sinner believes he would have worked in the catering industry had it not been for tennis.

"Realistically, I would maybe work in a kitchen with my dad. He used to be a cook," he said in a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, as seen below.

"I couldn't see myself being a pro ski racer because of certain reasons. I believe something realistic could be working in the kitchen with my dad and having bigger ambitions there."

In the Q&A session, Sinner was also asked to name the happiest moment of his tennis career to date.

“For me, there are two moments," he began. "The first being when I reached number one in 2024. It was during the tournament at Roland-Garros in Paris. I really enjoyed that moment.

"The other one was when I won Wimbledon. That for me, it was not even a dream. It was unrealistic when I was young to win such a big tournament."

Sinner added: "Winning that title with my parents there, my brother, great friends… it was for sure the happiest moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court."

Last month, Sinner became the first-ever men’s singles player to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’, which is the title given to players who win both Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The Italian came through with a 6–4, 6–4 win against Czechia’s Jiří Lehečka, receiving $1,151,380 for his efforts.