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When Jannik Sinner, currently world No. 1 (but possibly not for long), announced back in October that he wouldn’t play in the Davis Cup Finals for Italy because of a packed schedule, he faced criticism instead of support. Codacons, Italy’s consumer advocacy group, called it “a slap in the face to Italy.” Weeks later, the debate is back, but this time, Britain’s No. 1 Jack Draper is defending him. Just recently, Jack Draper was asked about Jannik Sinner skipping the Davis Cup. Draper, who once reached world No. 4, knows the grind and explained: “Jannik this year, he’s not playing the Davis Cup, am I right? Like, he’s probably thinking: ‘I’ve done, I’ve won Davis Cup twice. This year I’ve had a long year, I’ve had to deal with a lot, I’ve done well in the Grand Slams, and I want to do a better preseason, I want to improve as a player, I want to refresh.’” Sinner led Italy to Davis Cup victory in 2024, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 7‑6(2), 6‑2 in the final against the Netherlands. That win gave Italy back-to-back titles, with Sinner playing a key role. Draper added: “And him seems clearly to have made that decision just to get better and become a better player. And it’s tough to see when someone gets criticised for something like that, because it’s like they clearly don’t understand the sport and how it is.” Instead of playing the Davis Cup, Jannik Sinner will finish his season at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he was unbeaten last year and comes in with momentum from back-to-back indoor titles in Vienna and Paris. He is the second seed, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz also a favorite, and both are battling for the year-end No. 1 ranking. But does this pressure make skipping certain events more understandable? Critics continued to speak out. “It’s a big slap in the face to the Italian sports world,” said Nicola Pietrangeli, the two-time French Open champion for Italy. “Following Jannik Sinner’s rejection of the Davis Cup, Codacons demands the withdrawal of all official awards and honors bestowed upon the tennis player,” Codacons went on to demand. Even the headline, “Sinner, think it over again,” appeared on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport. But when players’ performance and well-being are on the line, are these criticisms justified? Well, he has got supporters as well. Jannik Sinner gets backing from tennis greats despite criticism It’s not the first time Jannik Sinner has faced criticism for skipping tournaments. He didn’t play the Davis Cup in 2023, and a year later, he also missed the Paris Olympics. Growing up in Alto Adige, a German-speaking region in northern Italy, Sinner has sometimes faced the unfair sentiment that he’s not “fully Italian.” Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports But anyone in the tennis world knows the schedule is brutal. Even Iga Swiatek called it “crazy” and admitted she might need to skip mandatory tournaments in the future. Sinner himself has spoken about this, saying players sometimes have to skip events to manage their workload: “The schedule is quite long these years. But as players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play. … It is a very busy schedule this year, there are a lot of tournaments. [But] you don’t have to play in a tournament. If you want, you can play. If not, you don’t play.”Although detractors were loud after his Davis Cup decision, Sinner also had supporters. “It’s actually a good thing,” Patrick Mouratoglou said, calling on people to respect the decision of the Italian. “For too long, tennis players have been living under a mandatory schedule. But players arent machines. They know their bodies… They know when to push, when to rest and when it’s time to protect their future,” Berrettini said. And that’s where Jannik Sinner’s story ultimately lies – it’s about more than simply missing events; it’s about understanding the human things in professional tennis.
