Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner was playing for more than personal glory when he won his first U.S. Open title on Sunday.

Sinner, 23, was hoping to bring home the coveted trophy as a ray of light for his aunt, whom he said in an on-court interview after the match has been “not feeling well, health-wise.”

The world’s top-ranked player expanded on why he dedicated his victory to his aunt in an interview on TODAY Sept. 9.

“She is very important,” Sinner said while holding his U.S. Open trophy. “She struggles with health at the moment. You can’t really do anything, so it’s a tough moment not only for me, because it’s also the sister of my mom, so all things considered, it’s not an easy moment for our family.

“But in another way, I tried to bring something positive home and tried to give her a little bit of strength,” he continued. “I don’t know how much it can help, but I just try my best.”

Sinner said his aunt was often there for him during his childhood and frequently took him to ski races because he was an avid skier in his youth.

“It’s a very difficult moment,” he said. “She is a very important person in my life because my parents, they used to work all the time, and every time when I came back home after school or whatever and my parents weren’t there, my aunt sometimes arrived.”

Sinner also spoke about the seriousness of his aunt’s illness in his post-match interview on the court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, on Sept. 8.

“I don’t know how much longer I will have her in my life,” Sinner said. “It’s so nice I can share positive moments still with her. She was a very important person for my life, and she still is. The biggest wish I would wish everyone the best health, but unfortunately it’s not possible.”

Sinner beat American player Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final to win his second Grand Slam title this year after capturing the Australian Open trophy in January. Fritz was trying to become the first American man to win the U.S. Open in 21 years.

“The crowd was fair,” Sinner said while on TODAY. “It was just an honor and pleasure to be part of this final and obviously holding this one (trophy) makes everything more special.”

Not only was he facing an American on Fritz’s home soil, Sinner also played the tournament under the cloud of controversy.

He twice tested positive for a banned substance earlier this year, but was not suspended after an inquiry from the International Tennis Integrity Agency determined that he ingested the substance accidentally.

He has since won three tournaments after the positive tests and also became the first Italian man to win the U.S. Open.

“Obviously this season hasn’t been easy, but the success has been massive and obviously we keep aiming for more, but we always have to be very happy to keep working,” Sinner said on the 3rd hour of TODAY.