“I actually believe there is still a gap of improvement,” – Jannik Sinner said after winning the ATP Finals. Can you imagine how high this 23-year-old lad has set the standards for himself? He has won 8 titles this year including two Grand Slam triumphs (AO and the US Open). Irrespective of what has happened around him off the court, he never let those things make an impact on his performance on the court. Amid all these rumors about his possible breakup with Anna Kalinskaya, fans were a bit surprised to see her brother’s praising gesture towards the Italian for his heroics in Turin. 

Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win the ATP Finals trophy and not only that, he also became the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to win the tournament without dropping a set. Shortly after this emphatic triumph in Turin when the fans were looking for Anna Kalinskaya, to witness their adorable celebrations, they came across a comment on Jannik Sinner’s IG post. Sinner had shared two images from his winning moment on his IG account with a caption, “Grazie Torino!!!! 🏆💪🏻💪🏻💚🤍❤️.” Kalinskaya wasn’t spotted in Turin and neither did she congratulate her on social media. However, her brother, Nikolay Kalinskiy, dropped a comment on Sinner’s post.

Kalinskiy congratulated Jannik Sinner by putting up a ‘👏‘ emoji on the post. Even Holger Rune commented, “Congratulations 🦾🥳,” on that post. But it was Nikolay Kalinsky’s emoji that caught the most attention of the fans. Reason? Not only did Anna Kalinskaya’s absence spark the rumor of their breakup, but also seeing them unfollowing each other on IG raised speculations in the last few days. It all started during an interview with Esquire UK where Sinner was asked what Anna Kalinskaya has added to his life.

His reply to that question at that time was, “I don’t think anything has changed. Having a girlfriend is something that either makes you feel good or makes you feel bad. I want it to be something that feels very natural, which comes into my life normally. I can’t afford to change as a player or as a person. That hasn’t happened, that’s why it works.” We don’t know the exact reasons behind these breakup rumors, but what we know as of now is that this rumor is spreading like fire. However, according to some reports, both these tennis stars have reportedly opted to take a break from each other amid a “crisis” so that they can “better understand their relationship and future.“

However, this isn’t the first time that Nikolay Kalinskiy has come up to the headlines with the help of Jannik Sinner. After winning the US Open title, Sinner met Golden State Warriors star, Steph Curry. Both of them even later on exchanged their shirts and Sinner eventually gifted that shirt to Anna Kalinskaya’s brother, Nikolay. Notably, Nikolay Kalinskiy is a big fan of Curry and he has been spotted wearing his GSW merchandise. He later on even thanked Sinner for this gift. Kalinsky shared a post on his IG account with the caption, “THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT 🙌🏾🎾🏀 @annakalinskaya78 @janniksin @stephencurry30.“

Jannik Sinner started the season by winning the AO title, and now it’ll be interesting to see if he carries forward this winning momentum and helps his nation defend their title at the 2024 Davis Cup. How does Sinner look at his 2024 season and what are his goals for the 2025 season?

Jannik Sinner reveals an interesting take on his goals for the upcoming season

Did he ever think he’d win 8 titles this year and end the year as the world number one? While speaking about whether he had any goals for the 2024 season, Jannik Sinner said, “It’s tough to say. I mean, my goal was to understand what I can achieve this year. There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No 1 or whatever.” Does he have any goals set for the next season, then?

Well, his reply to this was simply, “It’s going to be the same next year: whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn. I think that was the mentality we approached this whole year, trying to raise my level in specific moments, which I’ve done throughout this year.” He said that he’s very happy to finish off an incredible season with a lot of wins and a lot of titles. Sinner has played 78 matches as of now and won 71 out of them! Speaking about the 2025 season, he said, “Let’s see what’s coming next year. The future, nobody can predict.”

Can Jannik Sinner retain his title at the AO? Well, he looked a bit unsure while answering this question. After going through a lot of hurdles off the court, having a bit of nerves is quite obvious. Further reflecting on his thoughts on retaining the crown in Melbourne, he said, “This is then going to be a problem in Melbourne. I don’t know how I am going to react, how I am going to play. For sure is that I’m going to prepare it in the best possible way. Like every tournament, we try to prepare it, and then we see…I always say tennis is unpredictable.” Do you think Sinner can win the first Grand Slam title of the 2025?