Jannik Sinner, at one point, couldn’t help himself: very understandable reaction, it was about time it happened.
The medals the Azzurri brought with them to their homeland did not erase the disappointment stemming from a choice that evidently hurt more than anyone thought. Fans still have not fully digested Jannik Sinner’s forfeit at the Olympics, so much so that it is still being talked about as if the news is fresh.
Even now that Lorenzo Musetti has won bronze, even now that the legendary pair of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini has given Italian fans the joy of a gold. The South Tyrolean’s renunciation, however, continues to make more noise than the successes his national teammates have collected beyond the Alps. This is evidenced by the fact that in Montreal, immediately after his first-round victory over Borna Coric, Sinner was peppered with questions regarding his decision.
Canadians asked Jannik, specifically, if he was fed up with the controversy his absence had generated. At that point, although generally not very talkative, the world number 1 let loose with an almost venomous outburst that speaks volumes about how the criticism he has received in recent weeks has hurt him. It was necessary, if only to restore some order.
Sinner, no one has forgotten him yet
“I think only me and my team,” he allegedly said, as reported by Ubitennis, “really know how I felt: from the outside is one thing, from the inside is another. I especially know how I felt. “
“I had said it from the beginning of the year that my biggest goal was the Olympics, unfortunately, however, I was not even able to get out of bed. Then honestly about what people think … let’s say I give it little importance, little weight. I am no longer on social media, which is something that is very good for me. Then some things I read anyway, it’s obvious that when you open your phone there are notifications and something I see.”
“I understand people’s reaction,” this is how he closed the speech, “I am honest, however, I am here in Montreal now and what happened happened happened. It seems clear from his words that he is fed up to the teeth with all this controversy, but also with the way his tonsillitis has been questioned. And who knows that a success in Montreal might not suddenly erase, with a flick of the wrist, what should by now be behind him.