Sinner has cemented his status as the world’s best tennis player. The Italian rose to world No. 1 for the first time in June and is already guaranteed to keep the top spot until next year.
He won his first two Grand Slam titles this season – the Australian Open and US Open – and has lifted five more trophies on the ATP Tour.
But the 23-year-old believes he’s still the same person he always was despite reaching the top of the game. “From my point of view, many people like me because I’m a normal guy,” he told La Stampa.
“Success hasn’t changed me, I’m still the same as always, I’m natural and I don’t like to be the centre of attention.
“People who know me know this perfectly well and are aware that I have my feet on the ground. I always try not to walk with my head too high when I win and not to get down when I lose.”
While Sinner still feels like a normal guy, he’s achieved things that other players often dream about. As well as reaching world No. 1 and winning multiple Majors, he recently took home one of the biggest prize money pots ever seen in tennis.
The 23-year-old beat Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to be crowned the champion of the inaugural Six Kings Slam – an exhibition tournament part of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season.
The winner’s cheque was almost double the £2.8m he earned for his US Open triumph a few weeks earlier. But he later claimed that he didn’t enter the Six Kings Slam for the money.
“I don’t play for money. It’s very simple,” Sinner told Eurosport.
“Of course it’s a nice prize, but I went there because there was possibly the six best players in the world and you can measure yourself with them. It was also a nice event.”
His comments sparked some backlash, with three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka posting a crying-laughing emoji in response to the interview.
In an episode of his podcast, Andy Roddick also joked: “It definitely doesn’t make me sick to my stomach that he made more than 25 per cent of my career prize money in three days of exhibition tennis.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk