TURIN, Italy — They’ve shortly turn into among the most recognizable followers in tennis.
And what started as a spur-of-the-moment thought between six supporters of Jannik Sinner to decorate up as carrots has was a completely sponsored globe-trotting enterprise.
After first showing on the Italian Open in May, the orange-clad “Carota Boys” shortly picked up help from one in every of Sinner’s sponsors and have been despatched to cheer for his or her favourite participant on the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Orders for T-shirts that includes the Carota Boys’ emblem have are available in from Brazil, Greece, Switzerland, France and the United States.
“It’s all been far beyond anything we could have imagined,” stated Carota Boys member Enrico Ponsi.
Last week, the group of six boyhood buddies have been handled to a non-public assembly with their idol.
“They’re almost more famous than I am,” Sinner stated. “I got the names but I still got a little bit confused, because they have these good looking costumes with the carota.”
“It’s great to have this dedicated fan club. It’s growing, so I’m happy for them,” Sinner added. “It’s funny.”
The carrot thought is partly a tribute to Sinner’s red-orange hair and the way he ate carrots as a substitute of the extra frequent banana throughout a changeover at a match in Vienna in 2019. “Carota” is the Italian phrase for carrot.
While they’ve been across the globe lately, this week the carrots are staying nearer to their roots.
That’s as a result of the ATP Finals in Turin is positioned simply an hour’s drive from the Carota Boys’ hometown of Revello.
“Whereas at other tournaments we’ve had to leave after a few days, this one we can attend all week,” Ponsi stated earlier than Sinner opened the match with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.
So who’re the Carota Boys?
They’re all of their 20s – solely barely older than the 22-year-old Sinner.
Besides Ponsi, there’s Gianluca Bertorello, Alessandro Dedominici, Lorenzo Ferrato, Francesco Gaboardi and Alberto Mondino.
Ponsi and Dedominici work in agriculture, Bertorello is a baker and the others are workplace employees.
“We bought the costumes on the Internet,” Ponsi stated.
Since the Carota Boys made their debut in Rome, Sinner has risen from No. 8 to No. 4 within the rankings – making him the highest-ranked Italian man since Adriano Panatta almost a half century in the past.
But it’s not simply Sinner’s efficiency that the Carota Boys respect.
“He’s a simple guy like us,” Ferrato stated. “He’s a very humble guy. So we love this aspect of him.”
Added Ponsi: “We appreciate his modesty and his simplicity. He behaves well on the court and he never says anything out of place off the court. He’s a very respectful kid.”
Expect to see the Carota Boys out in full power when Sinner takes on top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Tuesday. Other followers have additionally been getting concerned with the orange theme by sporting orange-colored wigs.
“It fills us with pride that others are following our lead,” Ponsi stated, “We’re hoping to color the entire arena orange.”
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com