More than 16,000 kilometres from his hometown of San Candido, Italy, world No.4 Jannik Sinner has some added support at Melbourne Park this summer.
In the Italian's corner are six childhood friends from Revello, a small town in north west Italy, who travel the world to support the player.
Known as the Carota Boys, the group cheer on their countryman in carrot costumes, supposedly after their idol ate a carrot during a changeover in Vienna in 2019. Their public fandom began in May 2023 when they professed their admiration for the 22-year-old.
“We decided in May during the Rome [Masters] to buy these carrot outfits to support Jannik in a different way, and it looked great in Rome so we continued this adventure,” they told ausopen.com.
“We’ve followed him for several years because, like us, he’s a humble guy and he’s Italian so we love the way that he speaks and plays.”
Since then, the group have amassed more than 75,000 followers on Instagram and have signed a sponsorship deal with Italian coffee producer Lavazza.
The company sent the men in orange to Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2023. The carrots also got the opportunity to meet Sinner at the ATP Finals in November last year.
“It was unbelievable to meet him because outside [tennis], we had the idea that he maybe was a little bit shy, but he is a really fun guy,” they recalled meeting Sinner.
“We joked with him, we also played some tennis, so it was unbelievable.”
Sinner, in turn, thanked the Carota Boys for their support following his first-round victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.
“I was not expecting them to come here, but it’s nice to see them in the stands,” he said. “Obviously we have made some great memories together with all the support they give me.”
In partnership with Visit Victoria and AO Travel, the Carota Boys have been flown out to Melbourne for Australian Open 2024. While in Victoria they will explore the state and see what it has to offer.
“We’ve followed him [Jannik] for many years but now we’re starting to prove this kind of following,” they said.
“Now we are here in Australia for the first time, and we are really excited.
“We want to thank Australia and AO Travel because we are here thanks to them and Visit [Victoria].
“The fantastic thing is that with AO Travel, they give us a huge opportunity because, ok, we are here to support Jannik in this tournament, but then we have the great opportunity to visit Melbourne and all the areas in the state of Victoria.”
As for the world No.4’s chances at AO 2024, the Carota Boys are optimistic. Following his recent success in the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals, they believe Sinner can contend for his maiden Grand Slam crown.
“We trust Jannik because we think for now, this might be the greatest period of his career,” they said.
“Last year in November with the ATP Finals, with the Davis Cup, he played at an impressive level.
“We hope he’s playing really good physically and mentally, but we think he can get a good result here in Australia.”