In Pictures: Jannik Sinner meets with Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluigi Donnarumma & other Italian football team stars in warm welcome by Azzurri at Miami

Italian No. 1 Jannik Sinner recently paid a visit to his national football team in Miami, where the biggest soccer stars of the country are taking part in a training camp. The World No. 3 was given a warm welcome by the Azzurri's head coach Luciano Spalletti, Italian football legend Gianluigi Buffon and several other members of the squad.

Italy is scheduled to face Venezuela and Ecuador in friendly matches in the coming days, the first in Flordia and the second in New Jersey. With the Miami training camp coinciding with his time at the Miami Open, Sinner decided to drop in on his countrymen and watch them up close.

The Azzurri's official Instagram handle shared a series of photographs of the meet-up, wherein the reigning Australian Open champion was seen sharing an embrace with the likes of Buffon, Spalletti, and Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"First session for the #Azzurri in Miami, with a special fan dropping by," the post was captioned.

The Italian Football team also uploaded a video where Sinner was seen having an animated conversation with Spalletti and Buffon in Italian.

Jannik Sinner, after receiving a bye in the first round, will be taking on the winner of the clash between Pedro Cachin of Argentina and Andrea Vavassori of Italy in the second round of the 2024 Miami Open.

Jannik Sinner looking for maiden Miami Open title

BNP Paribas Open 2024 - Day 14

In the lead-up to the Miami Open, Jannik Sinner lost a closely contested semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open last week. In Miami, Alcaraz and Sinner are the two top seeds and are the favorites to meet in the summit clash next Sunday.

The Italian reached his best result at the Miami Open last year, progressing to the final before falling to Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev will be a force to be reckoned with this year as well, as he finished runner-up to Alcaraz in the final at Indian Wells.

The head-to-head between Sinner and Medvedev is 6-4 in favor of the Russian, with Sinner winning their last four matches on the trot, including their battle in the final of the Australian Open at the start of this year. Sinner's head-to-head with Alcaraz, on the other hand, is tied at 4-4, with Alcaraz winning their last match at Indian Wells.

While Sinner will be looking to win his maiden Miami title, Alcaraz will be hoping to complete the Sunshine Double, with Medvedev on the lookout to defend a title for the first time in his career.