Sinner On The Carota Boys: ‘They Are More Famous Than I Am’

A changeover snack in Vienna four years ago has turned into a fan club and a friendship.

Jannik Sinner met with his fan club, The Carota Boys, who have become famous in the tennis world for showing up at tournaments in carrot costumes. The act stems from a changeover in Vienna four years ago when the Italian chowed down on a whole carrot.

“They are more famous than I am to be honest,” Sinner said at his pre-tournament press conference in Turin. “I got to know them a couple of days ago. It was a great meeting, obviously.”

Sinner also caught up with The Carota Boys on Sunday at the Pala Alpitour, where the 22-year-old won his first round-robin match of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals against Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

“I don’t know them really, really well at the moment. I got the names, but I still got a little bit confused. It’s because they have this good-looking costume with the carota,” Sinner said. “But still it’s great to have this dedicated fan club to be honest. It’s growing, so I’m happy for them.”

Sinner will try to move to 2-0 in Green Group action on Tuesday when he plays World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The home favourite can qualify for the semi-finals of the season finale by defeating Djokovic in straight sets, or if he triumphs in three and Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Holger Rune in the afternoon.

The Italian will hope to use the support of The Carota Boys and the Pala Alpitour crowd to continue his success at the prestigious tournament.

“The atmosphere was really, really nice,” Sinner said after defeating Tsitsipas. “It’s huge pleasure for me to play here in Turin, in Italy. Obviously a little bit more pressure, but I managed it really well today, so I’m happy.”