My Influences: Quinn on ‘grounded’ Sinner, Paul’s mentorship | ATP Tour

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My Influences: Quinn on ‘grounded’ Sinner & Paul’s mentorship

American reflects on idols

October 08, 2024

From Jannik Sinner to Tommy Paul, 20-year-old Ethan Quinn has quickly developed relationships with the biggest stars on the ATP Tour in recent years.

The American trained with World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner in the leadup to the 2023 US Open and has been close to countryman Paul since he was young.

As part of our Next Gen Influences series, Quinn caught up with ATPTour.com to talk about Sinner, Paul and other inspirations in his life.

We’ve had six Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions at this point. Who do you look up to from that group?
I feel like Jannik is a good example. I got to share the court with him last year in the Hamptons leading up to the US Open. I got to get his insights and everything. He’s accomplished so much for being just a year or two older than I am, but just hearing his process and just what should be important for me, it was really nice getting to just chat with him.

I actually walked into the locker room [during the US Open] and I saw him, and I was able to just give him a handshake, which I feel like a lot of the top guys, maybe they wouldn’t do that for someone [like me]. I was ranked 250 in the world and I’m not from the same nation. To be able to be recognised by a guy like that is pretty nice, just to be able to get his thoughts. From a Grand Slam champion, I really appreciated it. 

Is that a player who you identify your game with?
A little bit. He is just so loose with both sides off the ground, he can absolutely crush the ball. I would like to try and replicate that maybe, being able to just blitz the ball on any certain occasion, but also have the natural touch and flare when coming to the net.

From the Next Gen group, a lot of Americans have come through. You are close with Tommy Paul. What is your relationship like with him?
Unique, I guess. He treats me as if I’m like his little brother. It is nice having someone that’s gone through the sport and is at where he’s at. He took a little bit longer to get to where he’s at compared to maybe Frances [Tiafoe] or Taylor [Fritz]. So to be able to just get his insights and be able to hear how it’s a marathon and it’s not a race [has been important].

Everyone goes at their own time. And I feel like for myself, maybe it might take a few more years or a few more months for me to develop and get to where I really want to be, in comparison to maybe some of the other American Next Gen guys that are coming up right now as well.

But just to have him as a mentor, he’s really helped me through this year. I certainly had some tough moments where I wasn’t really feeling like I was playing in a way that I felt comfortable in or just struggling mentally with not getting the results I was hoping for. So for him to take me under his wing and be able to explain to me how he went through the same things when he was younger [has been great]. [It has helped] to have him be able to just coach me through those moments where I could still go out and work every single day and try not to get bummed out about it, but still enjoy the entire process.

Who was your biggest tennis idol growing up?
The way that a player played, I think Juan Martin Del Potro. I absolutely loved watching him play, his forehand was just incredible. Some would like to say that my game is similar in a sense where big serve, big forehand and use the chip pretty often. I would like to say playing style, probably more towards Del Potro. But just willingness to win, I felt like it was Novak. I loved growing up watching Novak. My mom was a big Novak fan and so I think just with her passion for and love for Novak, I started to watch and enjoy just watching his competitiveness. I think from that side of things, I enjoyed watching him the most.

[Del Potro’s win] that stands out most to me is when he actually beat Novak in Rio in the Olympics, and just watching how passionate he was. That was just such a massive win for him. You could see the emotion after the match, for Novak as well. I remember seeing him walk off the court in tears and then Juan Martin was in tears as well just because he won.

It’s crazy just looking at that match. I eventually want to be able to play in the Olympics and compete for the United States. I think having that match kind of locked in my memory is pretty special, and to just see how passionate they were for the game and for that moment, hopefully I can get that in the future.

Novak won the Olympics this year. What was it like seeing him do that after following him over the years?
He’s accomplished tennis. There’s nothing more, I don’t think, that he can win. It’s pretty remarkable what he’s done in his career. I know I’m very, very far from any of that. Hopefully I could get to just sniff a little bit of what he’s accomplished. Seeing him win that, it’s just incredible for him and just getting to share the locker room with a guy like that is pretty special for me. A lot of my teammates from [the University of] Georgia, they all ask me like, ‘What’s it like seeing Carlos or Novak or Jannik in the locker room?’ 

I’m like, ‘Honestly, I try not to make it feel like they’re anyone else’. You walk in the locker room and that’s your competition. And so I try and walk in there and just try to enjoy the entire thing, but also recognise that these are the guys that hopefully I’m competing with in the future.

Do you have an influence from other sports, maybe an athlete?
I really enjoy Anthony Edwards [of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves]. I love watching him play. He’s just electric to watch. I love his trash talking, it is next level. I love his interviews. They’re always entertaining to me. He came through Georgia. He left the year before I went there, but my strength and conditioning coach at Georgia, he was the same one that worked with Anthony Edwards, and so just hearing the stories about Anthony and what he was doing in the gym and how if guys were weren’t doing what they should be, he held them accountable.

I think he was a very, very good leader and kind of helped me when I was on my team, I learned things not even being there, but just hearing stories about how I could improve myself as a leader for our team and improve myself as a competitor.