Tennis: The Sinner Effect

Ciao Amici,

With the news cycle spinning a thousand miles per hour, the Italian victory at Wimbledon by Jannik Sinner on July 13th seems like ages ago, but the sports world in Italy is still celebrating.

This win is not only significant because it is the first time an Italian has ever won the tennis championship, but it also points the spotlight on a different kind of being Italian.

Clearly, his name, Jannik Sinner, doesn’t exude Italian origins like his predecessor, Fabio Fognini. Sinner comes from a small town in Alto Adige, in the extreme northeast of Italy bordering Austria where most households speak German. This region was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was annexed to Italy after WWI and then went through a forced Italianization during the Fascist period.

His origins have brought questions to whether his victory should officially be considered for Italy. In an interview, Sinner was bluntly asked if he feels Italian and his answer was, like his tennis skills, accurate and graceful:

“Always, and I am very proud of it. When I was 7, I competed in ski championships with Italians, and when I was 14, my schoolmates in Liguria where Italian. We speak our local German dialect, but in Sicily they also speak a dialect that is not understood in other parts of Italy.”

This question is a mere distraction from the heart of what this victory can mean for Italy. In a country whose young men are known for being mammoni (sons that are way too attached to their mothers) and Peter Pan Syndrome, Sinner’s leadership in an individual sport can make him a role model for young Italians for his determination, self-discipline and relentless focus on honing his talent.

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A presto,

Lisa