Jannik Sinner is ready for a shot at glory at the US Open as he gets ready to face Taylor Fritz, but his journey to the pinnacle of tennis was shaped by an unexpected twist of fate. The downfall in his skiing career, which once held the promise of a different sporting path, turned out to be a crucial turning point in his life.

The world number one is ready to make a big impression at Arthur Ashe Stadium and display his brilliance on one of the biggest stages in sports thanks to his incredible racket skills. This stands in stark contrast to Jannik Sinner’s early career, when he first gained prominence as a junior skier.

Despite his impressive achievement as the national junior runner-up in the giant slalom, Sinner made a pivotal decision at the age of 12 to shift his focus to tennis. Opening up about his decision to choose tennis over skiing, despite his success in the latter, he said, “I was winning a lot when I was young in skiing, and in tennis I never won. And then slowly I started to lose in skiing because physically I was not ready to compete. I was always quite skinny and everything.”

Reflecting on his choice further, Sinner explained, “The reason why I chose tennis was that in tennis, you can make mistakes. You can lose points but still win the match. In skiing, if you make one big mistake, you cannot win.”

While Sinner moved on from skiing long ago, American tennis great Andy Roddick revealed a few months back that the Italian might have an advantage over other players on grass courts because of his skiing expertise. Before Wimbledon, in a recent episode of “Served With Andy Roddick,” the former US Open champion shared his insights on Jannik Sinner’s performance on grass courts.

Roddick said, “I know he was 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.” Jannik Sinner, growing up, actually drew inspiration from Olympic skier Bode Miller.

Jannik Sinner looked up to ‘crazy guy’ Bode Miller

Talking about Bode Miller, Jannik Sinner revealed how the adventurous style of the Olympic gold medalist captured his attention. “I was fascinated by this crazy guy (Miller); he was extroverted, and I was shy,” Sinner said, drawing attention to the difference between Miller’s audacious demeanor and his own cautious demeanor.

The Italian star described Miller’s performances as a blend of extreme highs and lows, noting, “Bode was different: he won or crashed. And I looked like him in the snow: I got on the podium or I didn’t reach the finish line.”

As he won the Australian Open earlier this year, Sinner achieved a significant milestone by becoming only the second Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, following in the footsteps of Adriano Panatta, who last won in 1976. He is now in a position to create history once more as he approaches the US Open final. A Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows will solidify Sinner’s legacy and write yet another amazing chapter in his career.