Sinner has said the Miami Open is a special tournament for him because it was the first place he reached a Masters 1000-level final. It was 2021, and Sinner, then 19, lost to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. The final was held on the Grandstand court because it was a reduced-capacity event due to COVID.

Asked to compare reaching that final and this one, Sinner said he is “a different player, a different person” now and he remembers not being able to sleep the night before that 2021 final.

“I was sweating during the night. Now I handle the situation much, much better. I’m just excited and happy to come back and hopefully I can play some good tennis Sunday.”

Sinner is the highest ranked Italian men’s player in history and first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century. The last Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title was Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open.

Sinner made his first big splash in 2020, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open in his debut.

He grew up in the German-speaking part of the Italian Alps. His parents worked at a ski lodge where his father, Johann, was a chef and his mother, Siglinde, was a waitress.

As a boy, Sinner dabbled in soccer and excelled as a junior skier but chose to focus on tennis. When he won the Australian Open earlier this year, he thanked his parents during his trophy ceremony.

“I wish everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose whatever I wanted to, even when I was younger,” he said. “I made also some other sports and they never put pressure on me, and I wish this freedom is possible for as many young kids as possible. Thank you so much to my parents.”

The 22-year-old Italian leads the ATP in wins this season with 21, losing just once to Alcaraz in the semifinals at Indian Wells.

In addition to his success on the court the past week, Sinner has been enjoying his time in South Florida. He was at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale last Thursday to watch the Italian national soccer team, the Azzurri, in a friendly against Venezuela.

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