Lorenzo Sonego has racked up more that 1.5 million streams for one of his songs on Spotify (Image: Getty)
Lorenzo Sonego is through to his first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final at the .
While the Italian has been ranked as high as No. 21 in the world, he might be a new name for some fans who are surprised to see him get this far in a Major.
Some might be even more shocked to learn that Sonego is known in the music industry, with one of his songs racking up more than 1.5 million streams on Spotify.
Sonego had never reached the second week of the before. Now he’s gone one better, making it to the last eight.
The world No. 55 defeated teenage qualifier Learner Tien to reach the quarter-final on Monday. It’s been a career-best run for Sonego, who also knocked out former champion Stan Wawrinka in the first round.
And the 29-year-old has found an unusual way to motivate himself this fortnight, admitting that he listens to his own music before going on the court.
Sonego started producing music in 2021 and has also provided the vocals for some of his songs, including the hit Un Solo Secondo, which has more than 1.5m streams.
Lorenzo Sonego had previously never made the second week in Australia (Image: Getty)
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After beating Tien, the Italian said: “I listen to my music, because I’m a singer, yeah. And, yeah, that’s the way to stay focused on my match.
“That’s the secret, listen to my music. I have more energy when I listen to my music, for sure.”
The former world No. 21 also confirmed that he would be releasing a new single later this year. Sonego makes music with one of his friends, who goes by the stage name AlterEdo and writes the songs.
But the tennis star sees it purely as a hobby. “It’s not a talent. It’s just to enjoy some moments with my best friend. Nothing else,” he laughed.
Sonego isn’t the only ATP star earning streams on Spotify. Former world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov has previously released music under the name Shapo while Frenchman Corentin Moutet also has a few songs on the streaming platform.
Shapovalov and Moutet even collaborated on the song Drip in 2020, which has over 120,000 streams.
Asked whether he could release music with his rivals, Sonego said: “Maybe, maybe. We can work for that.”
For now, the world No. 55 will be firmly focused on his quarter-final as he faces Shelton on Wednesday.