MIAMI — Jannik Sinner grew up in the Italian Alps, the son of a ski lodge chef and waitress, and was a promising ski racer before focusing on tennis.

Jiri Lehecka was raised by school teachers in a small village north of Prague in the Czech Republic, urged to focus on academics and play as many sports as possible and treat them as hobbies.

On Sunday, No. 2 ranked Sinner and No. 22 Lehecka meet in the Miami Open men’s final at 3 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium. It is a battle of reserved, thoughtful 24-year-olds who arrived at the top echelon of their sport with blue collar beginnings.

Sinner, the 2024 Miami Open champion, could become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back). He is on a record streak of 32 consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, breaking Novak Djokovic’s record by eight.

Lehecka is aiming for his first Masters 1000 title and with a win, would join Ivan Lendl (1986, 1989) and last year’s winner Jakub Mensik as the only Czech champions in tournament history.

Both players have credited their parents’ stress-free approach to tennis for their success.

When Sinner won his first Miami Open in 2024, he said his parents continued to work and travel only to a handful of his tournaments. “They will continue to do their life, and I will do my life,” he said.

Lehecka, who grew up in a small village 30 minutes north of Prague, was a multi-sport athlete whose father was a professional swimmer. His mother did track and field.

His grandparents lived next door, and the family had two tennis courts in their yard. As a child, he dabbled in cycling, swimming, soccer, running, cross country skiing, alpine skiing and tennis.

“My parents never wanted me to specialize in just one sport,” Lehecka said Friday, after advancing to the final with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win over Arthur Fils of France. “For them, it was basically a hobby until I was 14, 15 years old. For them, school was always the priority. Tennis was something I did because I liked it.”

Lehecka is proud of the fact that he has excelled in tennis with no pressure from his family.

“My parents were never like those ambitious parents who saw their kid being nine years old and they saw the kid being 18 and winning Grand Slams,” he said. “That wasn’t my parents. They wanted me to do sports because it’s a good thing to do, because it’s healthy and a good lifestyle. Sometimes, when I think about it, it’s funny that I sit here now.

“We can see there are other ways to be successful without specializing in one sport. When I was 10, 12, tennis wasn’t the only thing I knew how to do, so I’m glad my parents did it this way, and I think it’s a good way to raise children.”

Whatever it is that Sinner’s and Lehecka’s parents did seems to have worked.

Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz have separated themselves as the players to beat and their rivalry is one of the best in the game now. The Italian is 102-2 against players ranked outside the Top 20 since the 2023 U.S. Open.

Sinner advanced to the Miami Open final with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over No. 4 Alexander Zverev on Friday night.

“I’m very happy that I can play one more final here in Miami,” said Sinner, who missed last year’s tournament while serving a three-month drug suspension, “It has been an incredible place since the first day I was here. I have played some great tennis here in the past and now I’m finding myself again. But on Sunday it’s going to be a very tough match.”

He is 3-0 against Lehecka, who has not ever won a set off Sinner, but Lehecka, who moves up to a career-high No. 14 in the next rankings, is admittedly playing the best tournament of his life this week.

He has been rolling through most opponents with his powerful serve, speed and shot selection. Lehecka said his consistency has been the difference this season. He put in extra work on the court and the gym in the off-season.

“The work we did in the last two or three months is paying off right now,” he said.

Despite his undefeated record against the Czech, Sinner said he expects a different Lehecka on Sunday.

“This is definitely a court that suits him very well and then how he plays tennis is a very flat-hitting forehand and backhand, and he’s serving very well,” Sinner said. “He’s a very, very aggressive player and this is perfect conditions for him. He’s played incredible tennis throughout the whole week here, so he doesn’t have anything to lose. I’m in a different position.”

In the men’s doubles final Saturday, No. 7 seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori beat No. 4 Harri Heliovaara (FIN) and Henry Patten (GBR) 6-4, 6-2. It was the first Masters 1000 title for the Italian duo, who had reached Grand Slam doubles finals at the 2024 and 2025 Australian Open and 2025 French Open. Bolelli, 40, became the first Italian man in the Open Era to win 20 doubles titles.

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