Rap versus Rock, Milan versus Juve, tortelli and love: what divides and unites Sinner and Musetti?

So far away, yet so close. Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti couldn't be more different. Their playing styles, personalities, and interests. However, they share one common denominator: a love of family. Both for their family of origin and, in Lorenzo Musetti's case, the one he created with his partner Veronica Confalonieri. Because it's thanks to their parents' example that both learned hard work and sacrifice, crucial tools for making a name for themselves in the world of tennis. Jannik, from Sesto, in the Puster Valley, still follows the example of his father Hanspeter and mother Siglinde: "We didn't have much money," he said a few days ago, "so when I left home we made a deal: if I didn't consistently break into the top 200 in the world around age 23, I would quit." With his first earnings, he bought a racket-stringing machine, the art of saving that isn't greed, but rather giving things their proper value.

When, as a boy on the other side of the Alps, in Bordighera, he called his parents because he was homesick or to complain about a defeat, Siglinde would tell them not to waste her time, because she had chosen to play tennis while they were working. And she said it with the same anguish she feels now, covering her eyes before a match point. Lorenzo picked up a racket as a child; that tool was almost bigger than him. His father, Francesco, was always a tennis enthusiast, taking him to the Doganella Municipal Police sports center or to his grandmother's house, where Lori was spoiled with tortelli and lasagna, while he practiced against the garage wall as an infallible sparring partner before being entrusted to the care of Simone Tartarini. A trip, the one from Carrara to La Spezia, was taken care of every day by his mother, Sabrina, back and forth in her Panda. Like the Sinners, the Musettis haven't stopped working yet, and Francesco, when he's not busy being grandfather to little Ludovico, who will have a little brother at the end of the year, still works in the marble quarry.

Growing up, Sinner and Musetti made opposing career and life choices. Their personal choices were different, with the South Tyrolean engaged to model Laila Hasanovic but not yet settled down, and the Tuscan father of a family at 23. Their choices were different on the court. Jannik, already a Top 10 player, made a drastic change in his coaching career in 2022. After growing up with Riccardo Piatti at the Bordighera academy, he put his heart aside and focused on reason, choosing Simone Vagnozzi, later partnered with Darren Cahill. A decision that was criticized but, in his opinion, necessary for further growth. A choice that, over time, has proven to be the right one, with him ranking world number 1 and winning four Grand Slam titles. For Musetti, however, coach Simone Tartarini is also part of the family: "I will never separate from him" when he was criticized for not choosing a supercoach. For Lorenzo, Tartarini is much more than a coach; he is a psychologist, a friend, a second father. And her decision not to rely on big names was also a winning one. In her own time, she reached the Top 10 and the best season of her career, reaching the final in Monte Carlo, the semifinals in Rome and Paris, and the first quarterfinal at the US Open.

Tennis isn't the only thing in Jannik and Lorenzo's lives; opposites attract us: watches and fashion are both of their interests, even for sponsorship reasons. Muso is passionate about music, especially Ligabue and '70s rock, as taught by his father. Sinner is more international, with a preference for Seal, who over time has also become his "groupie." The soccer team sees them divided once again: Musetti is a Juventus fan, Sinner a Milan fan. It's the Italian derby.