The ATP Tour has introduced a new segment for their social media platforms, ‘Down The T’, in which top tennis players are asked rapid-fire questions. Jannik Sinner was the latest personality to be interviewed and the Italian has gone viral for certain responses.
According to numerous players who have been part of this fun interview previously, Frances Tiafoe was either regarded as the funniest or the ‘nicest’ player. Carlos Alcaraz was among the many to even claim that the American was one player who could always “be heard before be seen”. However, Sinner didn’t have the same opinion as the Spaniard.
The World No.1 named Hubert Hurkacz and Gael Monfils as the ‘nicest’ and the ‘funniest’ players, respectively. Tiafoe’s name was mentioned in the interview but as the player who was the “biggest trash talker”.
Your new king of NYC is here to spill all the tea with Sharky @ohnosharky | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/aoRdEYQ4Pc
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 9, 2024
Tennis doesn’t usually have any trash-talking between the players. However, growing up in America and closely following basketball and football, where trash-talking is a big part of the game, Big Foe has picked up the habit. There have been numerous occasions when Tiafoe has indulged in trash-talk with his opponents.
Tiafoe’s compatriots Jessica Pegula and Ben Shelton have often revealed how the ATP star likes to gain a psychological advantage over his opponents.
“He trash-talks me all the time, actually. Yeah, Frances. He just talks, like, constantly. I don’t know. I’ll have to think about that,” Pegula revealed.
“There’s not a time that he walks by me in the locker room and doesn’t say something about, ‘Man, I’m looking way better than you in this sleeveless shirt. You’ve got to work on those shoulders, buddy,’” Shelton said.
Tiafoe only limits his trash talk to the court. Off the court, he likes to indulge in harmless banter. However, there was one specific instance when Sinner was extremely livid at the Maryland native’s on-court behavior.
During their semifinal clash in the Erste Bank Open 2021, Frances Tiafoe lost the opening set 3-6. However, he would pull off a stunning comeback, winning the remaining two sets 7-5, 6-2. Understandably, Foe was extremely animated after advancing to the finals in Vienna. But, Sinner believed that his opponent’s post-match celebrations were a bit too much.
“In my opinion Tiafoe, he exaggerated today, he did too much. One thing is when you do the show, the other is when there is no more respect. I don’t know what happened, but today I think it went a little further,” Sinner said.
It seems as though the San Candido native is not holding grudges anymore. Earlier in August, during the trophy presentation ceremony of the Cincinnati Masters 2024, Sinner seemed to laugh at Foe’s “middle finger” incident.
