The Champion Skier Who Swapped Mountains For Tennis Courts.

But after a coaching class with star tennis coach Ricardo Piatti, he realised his true calling was on the courts. Join us as we chat to JANNIK about the differences – and the similarities between downhill and playing the game he loves.

How To Excel In Your Chosen Sport. Play A Different Sport.

When star tennis player, JANNIK SINNER moved from being a skiing champion at age 12 to a career on the courts, he didn’t put his skis away for good. In fact, we believe a career with a racquet has only improved his technique on the slopes. If you’re not playing a wider range of sports (especially tennis) you’re missing out.

Cross training is big. It’s rare to find players in any sport who don’t value the extra dimension that comes with playing two or more different sports. The American Psychological Association based in Washington DC, tells us that. “the beauty of sport lies in the interconnectedness of physical and cognitive skills. What you learn in one sport often seamlessly flows into another.” The Department of Movement, Human & Health Sciences from the University of Rome has weighed in with, “Cross training isn’t just about variety, it’s about leveraging the strengths of one sport to amplify required abilities in another.” And the Department of Sport Science, Kings College, London puts it even more succinctly, “An athlete’s skillset is a toolbox. The more tools you acquire from different sports, the more capable you become of winning in your main sport.”

In Jannik’s opinion, skiing is predominately about strength whereas tennis, because of the constant unpredictability while you play, requires a bigger range of skills.

At HEAD, we think that makes sense, which is why we recommend that whatever your game, you should enhance and amplify it by taking up tennis. When Jannik gets back on the slopes in his free time, he’s going to find that all that time on court has given him, better balance and coordination. Also: better ability to shift weight, sharpen anticipation and line selection, quicker reaction times, enhanced peripheral vision, better core strength, better timing and rhythm, more adaptability, sharper mental focus, and better risk assessment. Wow – not bad, don’t you think?