According to reports, Sinner made the decision to give the Games a pass based on inputs from his coaching team who felt that he was best served in trying to improve his game at this stage of his career.
Sinner’s move was met with skepticism from certain sections of the tennis community. In the latest episode of Il Circolo degli Anelli, former Roland Garros champion Adriano Panatta expressed his disappointment at the teenager for skipping the Olympics.
Panatta went on to label Sinner a “moron” for allowing himself to be influenced by others.
The former World No. 4, the last Italian man to win a Major, also spoke about Matteo Berrettini’s withdrawal from the quadrennial event. Berrettini pulled out after sustaining a thigh injury during his Wimbledon run.
Panatta believes Berrettini would have had a great shot at winning gold in Tokyo if he had not gotten injured ahead of the event.
According to Panatta, tennis has lost its “Olympic culture” in recent years. The 71-year-old brought up the example of Novak Djokovic’s shock semifinal loss to back up his statement.
Jannik Sinner will shift his focus to the 2021 National Bank Open
After winning the 2021 Citi Open in Washington, Jannik Sinner will now shift his focus to the National Bank Open in Toronto. He will be making his debut at the Masters 1000 event this year.
The teenager is seeded 16th in Toronto and has received a bye in the first round. He will open his campaign against either Taylor Fritz or James Duckworth in the second round. The 19-year-old could face top seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
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