Style Guide: 'It's-a me, Jannik!' Sinner embraces "Luigi" memes at Roland Garros

PARIS, France—Jannik Sinner has put on a ‘Super Star’ performance this fortnight at Roland Garros, and he’s doing it in an outfit that’s giving major video game energy.

When Sinner first took the court in Paris last week, he was decked out in a bright green NikeCourt Slam Polo, royal blue Slam Shorts, and a matching blue hat—a look that was instantly and hilariously familiar to fans on social media:

“What in the Luigi is Jannik’s outfit??” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter, while another asked, “Wait, why does Sinner look like Luigi from Mario?”

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For the uninitiated, Luigi is part of Nintendo’s legendary Mario Bros. franchise—a timid Italian plumber and the younger twin of the more famous Mario. His signature look? Bright blue overalls, a green shirt, and a green “L” cap. Sound familiar?

Yes, Sinner and his team have seen the memes. And yes, they’re all in.

His coach, Darren Cahill, shared a “Jannik & Luigi” meme on his Instagram Story with the caption, “Forza Luigi!” A few days later, Sinner joined in, posting photos of himself in the outfit with the caption, “Luigi back on court.”

“No, it’s nice, you know?” Sinner told Tennis.com in the post-match mixed zone. "I feel like sometimes we need to see the funny part as well."

On Monday evening, the crowd at Roland Garros got in on the joke, too. As Sinner faced off against No. 17 seed Andrey Rublev for a spot in the quarterfinals, chants of “Vai Luigi!” (“Let’s go, Luigi!”) rang out alongside the usual “Forza Jannik!”

“It’s something different, and it’s also nice sometimes to change things up—if not, it gets too boring,” Sinner said with a grin. “It’s good to have something on, at least!”

Sinner didn’t need any magical power-ups on Monday evening, as he cruised into the quarterfinals without dropping a set. It’s a strong statement in just his second tournament back following a three-month suspension for doping, after also reaching the final in Rome.

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“I’m playing, for sure, some good tennis. I think we can see that, mentally, I’m for sure more ‘free’ which allows me to be more focused at times,” Sinner told reporters.

“But on the other hand, it’s also my second tournament and I haven’t played for three months… I felt today that the level was very high, again from my side, but things can change quickly, you know?

“Being again in the quarters, that means a lot to me now and I’m never taking things for granted.”