Wherever Jannik Sinner has gone in 2024, controversies have followed him. Another one arose recently when, in an interview with Eurosport, Sinner claimed that he ‘doesn’t play tennis for money’ in the context of the $6 million prize he won at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. With the Italian already being under pressure over doping allegations, this was the last thing he needed.
The ‘million dollar’ question is — has Sinner been taken out of context by the media and fans so much that it has been blown out of proportion? Most probably, that is a yes. Sinner was asked by the interviewer about the feeling he had after winning that record prize money upon returning home.
The interviewer hinted that Sinner might have thought about telling his family and friends to go on vacation for two years with that kind of money. While the question was harmless in intent, the choice of it or the way it was worded could have been better. Sinner is not a friend of the interviewer but an interviewee on a professional assignment.
Considering Sinner’s ability to answer tricky questions well, it was understood that he wouldn’t agree with the interviewer for thinking like that. The problem arose for the World No.1, who is trying to be more fluent in English when he claimed that his motivation behind playing in Saudi Arabia was the opportunity to play against some big names in tennis more than the money on offer for a few days’ work.
To top it all, Sinner did add to his point that money is not his main motivation to play the sport professionally. When he looked back at this victory after defeating his biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning US Open champion said that it showed him where he stood in his game and where he could improve as he tested himself well against star players like the Spaniard.
While Sinner did acknowledge that it was nice to win that sort of money, he views it as a bonus. This is because he prioritizes his health, team members and family more.
“I don’t play for money.” ♂️
Jannik Sinner reflects on receiving the biggest prize in tennis history at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh. #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/daLllDeSZj
— Eurosport (@eurosport) October 27, 2024
It is paramount to understand that Sinner is a professional tennis player, and anyone who makes a living out of the sport is playing for the prize money available at each event apart from the championship trophy. It is Sinner’s game that made him rich first, and then his brand endorsements, investments, and other exhibition events followed.
If money is taken out of the equation, why would anyone take up a racquet beyond the junior or amateur level? But if a player forgets everything else and just focuses on the money or rewards, their game gets negatively affected at some point. Sinner was among the six big names to play in Riyadh, and they became stars because of their ability to win big and their popularity, to be invited in the first place.
Reactions towards Sinner’s interview has a lot to do with his other controversies
Sinner has made the news for a lot of wrong reasons, and that could be why many in the tennis community are not in the mood to either ponder or hear completely what he said. One school of thought has it on X that Sinner has brushed up his PR skills well and taken a leaf out of Roger Federer’s playbook.
Sinner wouldn’t generate controversy for no reason surely and was actually honest about his attitude towards money. In fact, in another interview this year, he did mention that despite all his riches, he is someone who orders pasta with tomato sauce in a restaurant if it is cheaper than pasta with meat or meat sauce. Has he really contradicted himself then? Not really.
Another school of thought is that if Sinner really didn’t care about the money in Saudi, he should have donated all his earnings to charity. Well, that option is always there. Although charity is done from the heart and without anyone getting to know. Apart from that, a person who has made the money by fair means has all the right to decide what to do with it.
It seems that the tweet highlighting his ‘I don’t play for money’ line has led many to paint Sinner in a negative light, perhaps for more views. To top it all, in the eyes of the law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. If social media pronounces someone guilty with a haphazard trial of its own, then isn’t that the biggest form of… umm.. injustice?
