Italian tennis is shining brighter than ever. From the clay courts of the French Open to the grass swing and then back to the clay courts of the Paris Olympics, Italian stars are reaching new heights. One name stood out above the rest: Jannik Sinner. Sinner became world number 1 after his French Open run and continues to occupy the sport. Despite his incredible achievements, he’s faced harsh criticism—particularly about his dedication to his country.

The 22-year-old missed his participation at the Paris Olympics after suffering from fever and tonsilitis. While his withdrawal was a major heartbreak, many in the tennis community alleged him of lack of desire and love for his country. Sinner, meanwhile, has slammed the critics in a recent interview.

The editor-in-chief of Ubi Tennis, Giovanni Pelazzo, reported Sinner let his true emotions out over the accusations. When quizzed about the remarks that accused him of not making ‘extra effort to go to Paris,’ Sinner responded vehemently. “It’s a question I don’t even want to have to answer honestly. I think only my team and I really know how I felt: from the outside, it’s one thing, from the inside it’s another. I especially know how I felt.” Sinner had made his aspirations clear for the Olympic games since the beginning of the season.

When asked during the Australian Open this year about his Olympic dream, Sinner revealed that the tournament is important for him given its stature. He expressed his desire to compete against the best players in the world in his debut Olympics. Unfortunately, the Italian “wasn’t even able to get out of bed” due to his illness. Despite this, the critics left no stone unturned in slamming the star player. To avoid the external flak, Sinner has, in fact, taken a break from social media. 

“I‘m not on social media anymore, which is something that does me a lot of good. Then I read some things anyway…But I also know who I am as a person and what kind of people I have around me, who all care a lot about me.” But Sinner is motivated for the next events. He has let the Olympics be a matter of the past and is attempting to gain his momentum back ahead of the US Open. However, the reigning Australian Open winner has reflected on his regret of missing the Olympic games time and again.

Talking to Pelazzo, Sinner reflected on the impact the decision had on him. “It broke my heart not to be able to go to Paris, the Games were one of my main goals of the season.” Interestingly, Sinner’s decision to skip the Olympics came as a blessing in disguise for him. 

How did Jannik Sinner’s Olympic withdrawal help him from losing crucial points?

Sinner’s decision to skip the Paris Olympics not only gave him enough recovery time but also helped him to preserve his World No. 1 spot. The young Italian was forced to miss the Rome Masters due to a hip injury, leaving himself with no room to miss another ATP Masters 1000 event. Had Sinner gone all the way to participate in the Olympics, there could have been a high possibility of him missing other major tournaments.

Since the players do not earn any points from the Olympics, it would have been a major challenge for the Italian, which he himself has acknowledged. “It was a very tough decision, but I believe it was the right one. If I had played in the Olympics, I could have faced a longer recovery and missed other important tournaments,” he said in a recent press conference. 

As tennis moves towards the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open, it would be interesting to see how brilliantly Sinner can pounce back to achieve big in his career.