Angelo Binaghi Defends Jannik Sinner for Refusing to Meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella: “Remember He Almost Was Hospitalized”

Jannik Sinner will be chasing his third consecutive title at the Australian Open, which starts on January 18.

Angelo Binaghi Defends Jannik Sinner for Refusing to Meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella: “Remember He Almost Was Hospitalized”

Jannik Sinner, Angelo Binaghi, Sergio Mattarella (Image via X/Jannik Sinner, Quindici Zero, Marco Di Maio)

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Last year, while dealing with the doping saga, Jannik Sinner sparked another controversy when he refused to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella for the Quirinale Palace ceremony after defending his Australian Open crown. Sinner wanted to prioritize his well-being, due to which he also decided not to defend the ATP 500 Rotterdam Open.

His refusal to meet Mattarella did not go down well with many Italians. Sinner’s Italian identity was again questioned when he decided to skip the Davis Cup Finals last year. But the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) Angelo Binaghi has defended his compatriot, highlighting the need for rest and recovery for tennis players, pointing out the 24-year-old’s physical discomfort during the fourth round of the Australian Open against Holger Rune, which saw Sinner take an 11-minute medical timeout.

Tennis is an intense individual sport that takes you all over the world every week. It involves sacrifices, just like the Olympics or the Davis Cup. Nobody’s perfect; you have to remember that Jannik almost had to be hospitalized in Melbourne during his match against Rune. It’s not just about physical rest, but also the need to relax, see friends, and spend time with family. That would take 50 hours a day.

Angelo Binaghi told Corriere dello Sport

Sinner will be in action on January 10, though it’s for an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea. He will be locking horns with arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open, where he will be eyeing history. The four-time Grand Slam champion will become the second man in the Open Era to complete a three-peat in the Major Down Under after Novak Djokovic if he wins the title.

Patrick Mouratoglou disagrees with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

During an interview with Univers Tennis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga indirectly questioned the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz by comparing them to that of the era defined by the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Tsonga said Sinner and Alcaraz, like the Big 3, are not facing other tough competitors like Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and Juan Martin del Potro.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (2)
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ)

But Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, doesn’t share the same opinion as Tsonga. In an Instagram post, Naomi Osaka‘s ex-coach said that the World No.1 and the World No.2 also have challengers in the form of Jack Draper, Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

And don’t forget that Alcaraz and Sinner beat Djokovic with 23 Grand Slams to start winning Grand Slams. When Novak won three out of four Grand Slams, making the final of the fourth one, he lost to Alcaraz in this fourth one. And I don’t believe that saying that those guys (Sinner and Alcaraz) are winning that much because of the level of the other top 10 players is giving them the credit that they deserve 100%. The level is unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Rune and Draper are currently nursing their injuries, while de Minaur, Fritz, and Auger-Aliassime are playing the United Cup. Except for Fritz, none of these players has made a Grand Slam final. Fritz reached the US Open final in 2024, losing the match to Sinner in straight sets.

Sinner and Alcaraz, in fact, have swept away the last eight Grand Slam titles. They finished the last year with a combined 26 trophies from 35 finals, including the four Majors and the ATP Finals.

The Australian Open starts on January 18. Alcaraz will be aiming to complete the Career Grand Slam, becoming the youngest man to do so by surpassing Nadal. But the Spaniard has never reached the semifinals, losing twice in the quarterfinal stage.

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