Adriano Panatta expresses disappointment at Jannik Sinner's Olympics withdrawal, says the Italian is a "moron" if he is influenced by others
Jannik Sinner's decision to opt out of the Tokyo Olympics and continue to play on the ATP tour paid rich dividends for the Italian as he lifted his third career title at the Citi Open on Sunday.
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.
“I was disappointed with Sinner's non-participation in the Olympic Games," said Panatta. "He has great talent, he will become one of the strongest in the world but at 19, if they call you to the Olympics, you can even go there on foot."
Panatta went on to label Sinner a "moron" for allowing himself to be influenced by others.
"The soul of an athlete is the only thing you cannot train: you are born one way and finish one way," Panatta went on. "Jannik Sinner managed by others? Sorry, I don't want to be as disruptive as usual, but I think if you let yourself be handled on these things you are a moron. Then if you want I can also speak in an elegant way and not say anything of what I think."
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.
"Berrettini forfeited due to injury, I'm sorry because he could have won the medal gold," added the Italian.
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.
"There is no Olympic culture in tennis. Djokovic also went blank. I was captain of the Italian team in three Olympics, and during the inauguration ceremonies I was thrilled. The Olympic sentiment either you have it or you don't have it."
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.