Charles Leclerc confirms he will “soon” play against Tennis Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner, albeit in a different sport
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claimed that he will play against the 2024 Australian Open champion and World No.1 tennis player Jannik Sinner in a game of padel soon. The Monegasque driver, along with other peers including Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, and George Russell have been spotted playing padel during their time away from F1.
The 26-year-old is also an avid fan of tennis and has been spotted at the Monte-Carlo Masters on several occasions. He even had a chat with the reigning Monte-Carlo Masters champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Speaking with La Stampa, Charles Leclerc spoke about his budding friendship with Jannik Sinner, who recently won the 2024 Miami Open, and revealed that they have been exchanging messages. He said (via Express):
"With Jannik, we write to each other often. He sent me several messages when I won in Monte Carlo, a moment I had been waiting for years, and I, of course, wrote to him for No. 1."
"So far we have only seen each other at a few award ceremonies but we agreed that soon we will go and play padel. Although for me it will not be a great day,” Leclerc added.
Charles Leclerc opens up on Jannik Sinner's message after his Monaco GP triumph
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc stated that the Italian tennis superstar congratulated him after he achieved his lifelong dream of winning his home race in Monaco this year. Charles Leclerc also mentioned that interacting with Sinner was 'interesting', adding:
“He congratulated me and wrote that he was happy for me. I am pleased, meeting so many colleagues of the highest level is super interesting. There's so much to learn even from other sports.”
Jannik Sinner has never hidden his admiration for the sport, as he pointed out that racing was in his blood being an Italian. Last year, the World No.1 in tennis talked about his love for F1 and said (via F1.com):
“Being Italian, F1 is in my blood, so I couldn’t be more excited to be working with not only the best brand in motorsports but the best sports platform in the world. I am honored to be given this opportunity and truly thrilled to be a Friend of F1.”
Sinner also spoke about the similarities between tennis and F1 claiming that the point of similarity in both F1 and tennis lay in the how it was the "small details" that mattered.
One aspect that particularly interested Sinner was how F1 teams improved their cars and the drivers worked on their performances to win races by the smallest of margins.
It is unclear if Sinner has attended any F1 races thus far, but given the level of interest and knowledge the Italian possesses about the sport, it won't be long before Charles Leclerc or the sport invite him to watch a race.