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ROME: Jannik Sinner’s decision not to play for host Italy in the Davis Cup Final 8 is being met with a sense of abandonment in his home country — where he was fiercely defended during his doping case earlier this year.
The second-ranked Sinner, who led Italy to tennis’ biggest team trophy the past two years, said that he prefers to prepare for next season instead of helping the Azzurri aim for another title in Bologna next month.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but after Turin (where the ATP Finals are played the week before the Davis Cup), the goal is to start off on the right foot in Australia,” Sinner said, referring to the Australian Open, where he is the two-time defending champion.
“It doesn’t seem like it, but a week of preparation in that period can make a difference,” Sinner told Sky Italia on Monday from Vienna, where he is playing this week. “We already won the Davis Cup in 2023 and 2024 and this time we decided like this with my team.”
The front-page headline in Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport translated to: “Sinner, think it over again.”
An accompanying editorial in the Gazzetta took Sinner to task for saying he already won the Davis Cup twice, pointing out how he also defended his title over the weekend in a lucrative exhibition in ������Ƶ.
“So you’re not going to return to Riyadh for another $6 million? If you win another Wimbledon, you won’t go to London anymore? Pasta, coffee … Every five minutes you promote an Italian product. Do it with tennis, too,” the Gazzetta editorial said, referring to the multiple Italian brands that Sinner represents in TV and other advertisements.
Added 92-year-old Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open winner who was Italy’s most successful player until Sinner came along: “It’s a big slap in the face to the Italian sports world.”
Italians widely defended Sinner when he was hit with a three-month doping ban in February, while other top players insinuated that he received preferential treatment because of his high status and the time frame of the ban meant that he didn’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments.
Sinner has faced discrimination
It’s not the first time that Sinner has been criticized for not representing Italy. It happened when he didn’t play Davis Cup in 2023 and it happened when he didn’t play in the Paris Olympics a year later.
Sinner grew up in the German-speaking autonomous region of Alto Adige in northern Italy and has also faced an underlying sentiment that he’s not fully Italian.
Just last month, an Italian rapper was accused of inciting racial hatred for publishing musical lyrics saying that Sinner speaks with “Adolf Hitler’s accent.” Fedez, the rapper, later apologized.
Panatta defends Sinner
Adriano Panatta, who led Italy to its only other Davis Cup triumph in 1976, defended Sinner’s choice, noting how the team competition is not considered as important as it was in his playing days.
“Today’s tennis requires players to have complete devotion. The players are like CEOs of companies that carry their names,” Panatta wrote in Corriere della Sera. “Sinner has won the Davis Cup twice and now he needs a break to gear up for his main goals: winning Slams, playing up to (Carlos) Alcaraz’s level, reclaiming No. 1. Those are his priorities.”
Paolo Bertolucci, who also played on the 1976 team and is now a TV commentator, agreed with Panatta.
“I don’t see anything wrong with the decision,” Bertolucci told the Gazzetta. “Tennis has changed. Today what counts are the four Slams and then the ATP Finals. The rest is side stuff.”

MADRID: Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Tuesday the plan to take Barcelona’s La Liga match against Villarreal to Miami is “adulterating” the competition.
La Liga announced they were moving the game to the United States in December, which will be the first European League fixture to be held abroad.
“It’s totally adulterating the competition,” Courtois told a news conference.
“It’s easy to talk about the NFL and the NBA (which move locations), they have 82 games and it doesn’t change anything for them, and in the NFL it’s voted for by the owners of the teams...
“Here it’s the opposite... they decided to do it and it adulterates the competition.”
Courtois said Barcelona would gain an advantage by facing Villarreal at a neutral stadium, rather than in a normal away game.
“Villarreal away is a difficult game... everyone should play at home and away, apart from for force majeure.”
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) organized protests against the game being moved last weekend, with players from every team not moving for 15 seconds at the start of each league match.
However the protests at the start of each match were not all shown on television broadcasts.
“Hiding it... is censorship and manipulation, and that’s not good at all,” added Courtois.
Madrid have expressed their disapproval of the match being moved and Spanish media have reported that the club have filed a complaint to the Spanish government.
Coach Xabi Alonso reiterated he is also against the Miami switch.
“My opinion is clear... the club is defending their interests and we will see what happens,” said the coach.
Belgian stopper Courtois is set to make his 300th appearance for the club on Wednesday when Real Madrid host Juventus in the Champions League.
“I’m very proud of reaching that number, when you’re a kid you dream of playing a game for Real Madrid and tomorrow it will be 300,” said the 33-year-old.”