Jannik Sinner Criticized in Italy: "Why Isn't He Like Carlos Alcaraz?"
Jannik Sinner will skip the Montreal tournament to recover after his Wimbledon victory. This decision has sparked criticism in Italy, where the world number one is being attacked for his lack of personality and his tax residency in Monaco.
Jannik Sinner announced a week ago that he would not participate in the Montreal tournament, in order to allow his body to recover after his victory at Wimbledon and to arrive fresher for the start of the hard court season. Although this is an understandable decision considering the load he has experienced this season, in Italy there were those who chose to attack the world number one.
"An athlete needs to be a character, — said Eurosport Italia journalist Simone Terrano. — He is an anti-character. One must understand that Sinner is like that. He has no intention of saying or doing anything."
This is not the first time that Sinner has faced criticism in his homeland following a decision to skip a tournament. Even after he withdrew from the Davis Cup in 2025, which was held in Bologna a few days after his victory at the ATP Finals, he was sharply criticized — despite the fact that he led Italy to victory in the event in 2023 and 2024.
During one of the discussions on Italian television, journalist Giovanna Botteri even attacked Sinner's decision to reside in Monte Carlo. "It really annoys me that Sinner lives there," she said. "I always ask myself what one does with 70 million euros a year. You buy a house, a scooter, a car, maybe two cars, and then a house for your child. But what then? These people have houses and property that they don't even remember they have."
Commentator Luca Sommi joined the criticism and said: "It annoys me a lot too. You earn 70 million euros a year, so why not do like Carlos Alcaraz, who kept his tax residency in Spain? Is 70 million euros a year not enough?"
Despite the criticism, Sinner has had an especially busy season. He has participated regularly in tournaments since Indian Wells, played in four tournaments during the clay season, and won three of them. At Roland Garros, he was eliminated in the second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo, after suffering from health problems and losing a two-set lead on the way to a 3:6, 2:6, 7:5, 6:1, 6:1 loss.
After the elimination in France, the Italian skipped the grass preparation tournaments before Wimbledon, and now he is again choosing to rest before moving to the hard courts. This is the second year in a row that he is skipping the Montreal tournament, and therefore he is also not expected to lose ranking points. Sinner may return to the courts at the Cincinnati tournament, which will begin on August 13.
