Top star Jannik Sinner’s decision not to play in the Davis Cup Finals has earned him fierce criticism from an Italian tennis icon.
Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the Davis Cup Finals (November 18 to 23) has earned him fierce criticism.
“This is a slap in the face for Italian sport. I don’t understand why he talks about a difficult decision; he has to play tennis, not wage war,” Italian tennis icon Nicola Pietrangeli told the Ansa news agency.
Tennis star Sinner? “The heart is left behind”
With Sinner, the Italian team won the Davis Cup title in the past two years.
Pietrangeli always felt very honored to represent his country: “It should be the goal of every athlete to wear the national team jersey. But that was a different era.“
Sinner explained his decision to Sky Italia, saying that he wanted to prepare well for the upcoming season and that one week more or less could be decisive: ”It wasn’t an easy decision, but after Turin, the goal is to get off to a good start in Australia.”
Pietrangeli now hopes that Sinner will not play in another tournament during the week of the Davis Cup finals. “Today, the world is too dominated by money. The heart falls by the wayside,” criticized the 92-year-old.