WATCH: Jannik Sinner and his father Hanspeter enjoy fun football session at Indian Wells practice
Jannik Sinner, accompanied by his father, recently undertook some light football training during one of his practice sessions in Indian Wells.
Sinner upped his singles record to 15-0 this year after eliminating the big-serving Ben Shelton 7-6(4), 6-1 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday (March 12). Before this, the Italian sensation beat Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jan Lennard-Struff in the second and third rounds, respectively.
Sinner is now set to face Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals in Indian Wells. Recently, the 2024 Australian Open champion was seen kicking the ball about with his team, including father Hanspeter, on a tennis court.
Watch the video below:
Sinner's father, Hanspeter, is a chef by profession and is currently accompanying his son on the tour. He has also been seen in the player's box cheering on Sinner during the tournament, including in the match against Shelton.
Sinner wasn't the only tennis superstar captured spending time with a football this week. Carlos Alcaraz was also recently spotted doing some impressive juggling skills during a practice session in California.
Jannik Sinner pleased to have his father on tour during ongoing Indian Wells Masters
Jannik Sinner admitted mid-February that he hadn't had the chance to celebrate his 2024 Australian Open victory with his parents due to his commitments as the champion in Melbourne.
The young Italian eventually met them after winning the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. Speaking after his win against Ben Shelton at the Indian Wells Masters, the 22-year-old stated that he was happy to have his father, Hanspeter, with him during the tournament.
Sinner also gave an insight into how the father-son duo is spending their time off the court. He said during his on-court interview (00:51):
"It's amazing to have him here. It’s a little bit different tournament, we have the house, we cook together. In the evening, we watch some series together, which I missed a lot in the last years. I haven’t had him around so much, so it’s great to have him, and obviously all the rest of the team. It’s just fun to be around with them. So it’s awesome."
Sinner's next opponent, Jir Lehecka, has put together an impressive run in the tournament so far. Brandon Nakashima was the only player who succeeded in taking a set off the Czech during that time, doing so in the second round.
Since then, Lehecka has dispatched World No. 5 Andrey Rublev and 11th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. This is the first time the World No. 32 will face Sinner on the tour and the winner of this tie will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.