Sinner like Berrettini, no one is saved: one misstep, just one, and you’re immediately out of the game.
The iron-defined curls, the black glasses, the plastic poses. It was a decidedly unprecedented version of Jannik Sinner who, in the aftermath of his victory at the Miami Masters 1000, had returned to Europe to take on the role of sailor 2.0 and pose for a photo shoot. The images had quickly made the rounds of the web, in many cases sparking hilarity among the people on social.
Because, let’s face it, we are not at all used to seeing him in this strange guise. Blue is the ultimate sportsman and it is strange to see him wearing designer clothes and accessories instead of the usual Nike logo shorts and caps. That doesn’t mean we don’t like the San Candido native, however, pulled together by Gucci and decked out like a perfect gentleman. On the contrary. Not everyone likes him, however, so much so that, in the past few hours, a new and unexpected controversy has mounted on social networks.
A belated controversy, moreover, given that several weeks have passed since Sinner in model version posed for that photo shoot. However, Chi magazine dusted off one of the shots taken on that occasion, telling that the shoot was framed by Liguria and that it took a moment for the locals to notice that that was the champion of the moment. Moral of the story, the area had to be cordoned off to prevent Jannik from being assaulted.
Sinner like Berrettini: all it takes is a photo
But that’s not the point. Chi’s revelations about what happened that day have been overshadowed, ugly, by the unpleasant criticism from users who came across this post on Instagram. And proving that, in some cases, it only takes one misstep to be cut off from the circle of champions.
Jannik Sinner shooting for Gucci.
– The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 3, 2024
“But wasn’t he disinterested in everything not called sports?” asks one user, evidently convinced that a tennis player should do nothing but play tennis. “He made all that fuss about going to San Remo and then he does all these commercials!!!” echoes another, equally annoyed by Sinner’s “versatility.” The tenor of the comments, albeit with some variation on the theme, is still the same.
“He, too, has fallen into the publicity net,” “In the end they all become the same,” and you name it. To the pillory for daring to accept a sponsorship deal and for being “distracted” for a handful of hours from his extraordinary ride to the top of the Atp ranking. Just as it happened to Matteo Berrettini and as, probably, will happen to all sportsmen who, like them, between one forehand and another will decide – legitimately – to make a few commercials.
