Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a return during the third round men’s singles match against Jenson Brooksby of the United States at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
LONDON — Clay, grass, hard court — or even snow.
The surface underfoot doesn’t seem to make any difference for Jannik Sinner.
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The top-ranked player — who is currently attempting to defend his title at Wimbledon — was one of Italy’s top junior skiers before he turned his attention full-time to tennis.
Now Sinner excels on every type of court and his background as a skier might have helped his tennis game.
Just like an elite slalom skier perfectly shifting their weight back and forth from one gate to the next, Sinner hardly ever seems off balance as he rushes back and forth across the baseline — despite his tall and lanky 6-foot-3 (1.91-meter) frame.
Fellow tennis player Casper Ruud agreed that the most impressive thing about Sinner is his movement.
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“He’s strong also in balance and flexible to get to certain positions,” Ruud said. “He has good hip movement and knows how to slide (into) both corners.”
Skiing standout Lindsey Vonn also pointed to Sinner’s ability to stay in balance.
“He has an amazing kinesthetic sense, which is an important skill in both sports,” Vonn told The Associated Press. “He is very aware of his body in space and time, so even though he is tall, he moves fluidly and in sync.”
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Sinner won a national skiing championship when he was eight and placed second in Italian nationals at 12.
In a 2009 giant slalom won by Sinner, Giovanni Franzoni — the breakout downhiller of last season — finished 12th, four seconds behind.
Franzoni is now the Kitzbühel downhill champion and the Olympic silver medalist.
“I was really good,” Sinner said after his first Grand Slam title in 2024. “But then I had a couple of so-so seasons when I started competing against older athletes in slalom and giant slalom and when downhill came into the picture I weighed too little to compete.
“So I kept on playing tennis,” Sinner added. “In skiing, if you make a mistake you’re out; it’s a dangerous sport and you need to get up early in the morning and venture outside in frigid temperatures. Tennis is a bit more accessible. In the end I think I made the right choice.”
Vonn, who shares a common sponsor with Sinner, once hit the slopes with the tennis star.
“He skis similarly to how he plays tennis; he is fluid, smooth, and makes it look easy,” Vonn said in written comments. “His knees and hips are always parallel and he is always in balance. I really enjoyed skiing with him and I hope to do it again, but after his tennis career!”
Many elite skiers include tennis in their summer training regimen. Vonn’s fellow Olympic champion Bode Miller was a state high school champion tennis player in Maine and his family ran a tennis academy in New Hampshire. He once attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open.
“I love playing tennis. It’s good for my footwork, mental strength and general athleticism,” Vonn said. “I know of quite a few skiers who play tennis as a form of cross training. It’s a way to push myself physically and mentally. When you get physically tired, you have to still be mentally strategic and cool under pressure. I love that about tennis.”
Vonn was the top World Cup downhiller last season at age 41 until her horrific crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left her with a severely fractured left leg.
Ruud, who is Norwegian, was also a skier as a kid, “but I don’t move as good as him,” he said of Sinner.
“I don’t necessarily believe because he did skiing when he was young, that’s why he moves so well,” Ruud said. “I mean, look at (Carlos) Alcaraz: He didn’t ski and he also moves pretty damn well.”
Ultimately, Ruud suggested, it’s just healthy for kids to try as many sports as they can.
“No matter what it is, whether it’s skiing, running, golf. Doing things that keep you active is great. I have never seen Jannik ski other than videos. Would be fun to do a skiing competition one day,” Ruud said with a smile.
Kostyuk’s gymnastics and backflips
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk does a backflip as she celebrates beating Russia’s Mirra Andreeva during the 2026 WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament final singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on May 2, 2026. (Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP)
When Marta Kostyuk won the Madrid Open in May, she performed her customary title celebration: a backflip.
It was a nod to the Ukrainian player’s background in gymnastics, a sport she practiced until she was 11.
While Kostyuk appreciated the physical part of gymnastics, it was a stressful sport for her outside the gym.
“I had to be super skinny. I had to control what I eat. I would weigh myself 20-30 times a day from 8 to 10 years old,” Kostyuk said. “That had some consequences on me obviously that I had to work through.”
Kostyuk also tore an abductor muscle while performing gymnastics as a kid, which she called “a really big injury.
“That had also consequences in my career,” she said. “I fixed them but it took a while. I don’t know about Jannik and if he ever got any bad injuries but I’ve been there so there’s always two sides. But for sure it helped my tennis and I’m happy that I got out on the other side better.”
Cobolli’s football skills
French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli was a talented soccer player and a member of Roma’s youth club until he decided to focus fully on tennis.
“I have a good physical skill and a lot of stamina, and maybe football helped me (in that department),” Cobolli said.
Many of the soccer players he used to train with as a kid are professionals now and remain good friends, like Watford midfielder Edoardo Bove, Arsenal fullback Riccardo Calafiori, Atalanta winger Nicola Zalewski and Lazio winger Matteo Cancellieri.
Djokovic was also a skier
Similarly to Sinner, Novak Djokovic grew up on a ski hill in Serbia and his father was a ski racer and instructor.
Along with Djokovic, Sinner is one of the few players who slides into shots on grass.
“It was always very natural,” Sinner said of his sliding abilities. “Maybe the skiing was a big part of (it) with the balance.”
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