Jannik Sinner‘s mother, Siglinde, was having a nervous time on Center Court as her son battled Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final, with the German really giving the defending champion a run for his money. After the Italian wrapped up his fifth Slam win, he addressed his mother in his speech.

“So I have to thank, obviously, the whole team, the whole support I get, you know, from the whole box. My mom and I see her, she left the stadium a couple of times,” said Sinner during his on-court speech. “You know, it is, being a player, it’s not easy, you know, so.”

No one could blame Sinner’s mother for being nervous, as Zverev was intent on ending his nine-match losing streak against Sinner and had a great start to the match, winning the first set in a tiebreak, with Zverev being aggressive on his forehand.

When the second set went to a tiebreak, Sinner’s mother’s nerves might be at their highest as she had already gone out once during the set, but the Italian put all his supporters at ease, as he found an answer to his opponent’s serve, winning the second set. The Italian got timely breaks in the third and the fourth sets to create distance between himself and Zverev, and duly wrapped up the match in the fourth set.

This was not the first time Sinner’s mother was on edge while watching her son in a Grand Slam final, as she witnessed the heartbreaking final the Italian lost at the French Open against Carlos Alcaraz last year, despite having match points. When Sinner met Alcaraz at the SW19, the Spaniard saved one match point yet again, with the cameras pointing at Sinner’s mother, who could barely watch. However, the grass at Wimbledon seems to have taken a liking to Sinner as the Italian closed the final in four sets two years running.

Sinner’s mother is a key member of his off-court support system, often seeing him in his box during Slams. The Italians’ parents do not covet the spotlight, as evidenced by their declining the invitation to sit in the Royal Box during one of Sinner’s matches. The Italian too emphasized his parents’ soft-spoken nature, claiming they would not be comfortable with the scrutiny of the Royal Box.

Coming into this year’s Wimbledon, there were many questions about Sinner’s physical capabilities after the Italian had broken down in the Paris heat at the French Open, suffering a shock loss. His title defense began with a might scare against Miomir Kecmanovic, who was two-sets-to-one up on the Italian. However, being the champion he is, the top seed turned the match around. He reached the final, dropping just two sets, and a masterclass performance against Novak Djokovic in the semifinal.

Even in the final, Sinner did not look tense even after losing the first set despite having set points. The Italian worked his way into the match, gradually breaking down the Zverev serve, which finally saw the German wilt under pressure in the fourth set, giving the title to the World No.1.