"A slap in the face" - Jannik Sinner makes former Italian pro furious as he decides to skip Davis Cup to prioritize Grand Slams

Jannik Sinner recently opted out of the 2025 Davis Cup finals, which is scheduled to take place in November later this year. In light of his decision, the 24-year-old faced heavy criticism from Italian Grand Slam champion Nicola Pietrangeli.

Sinner is undoubtedly one of the best men's singles players from Italy at the moment. The youngster has led his team to the Davis Cup trophy in 2023 and 2024, and his absence at the 2025 iteration will make it harder for the home team to defend their title.

As Jannik Sinner announced his decision to opt out of the Davis Cup, Pietrangeli, who won the French Open in 1959 and 1960, berated the youngster for his choice, telling ANSA,

"It's an affront to Italian sports. I don't understand when he mentions a difficult choice. He has to play tennis, not go to war. When it comes to the Davis Cup, I get annoyed because a player's objective should be to wear the Italian jersey. But unfortunately, I'm speaking from another era. I hope he won't go play elsewhere during the Davis Cup. Today, the world is filled with money and we're leaving heart aside.”

For his part, Sinner stated that he is sitting out the tournament in order to be better prepared for the 2026 Australian Open, telling Sky Sports during the Vienna Open media day,

“I’ve won the Davis Cup twice. My team and I made this decision because the end of the season is very long, and I need an extra week off to start training earlier. The goal is to be in top shape for Australia. Over the last two years, I haven’t been at my best due to a lack of time, so we decided this was the right move.”

The 2025 Davis Cup Finals will take place between November 18 and 23. Italy is scheduled to play their quarterfinals on November 19, and while Sinner will not be in action at the event, his longtime rival Carlos Alcaraz will compete for Spain in their quarterfinals tie on November 20.

Jannik Sinner set to take on Daniel Altmaier for Vienna Open first round match

Sinner at the Six Kings Slam 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

Jannik Sinner has enjoyed a busy October. Early in the month, the Italian claimed the Chine Open title, defeating Learner Tien in the finals. Post this, he returned to action at the Shanghai Masters, where he was forced to retire midway through his round of 32 match due to the overly humid conditions at the Qizhong Tennis Center.

After the Shanghai Masters, Sinner competed in the Six Kings Slam exhibition, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the finals to claim his second consecutive title at the event.

Now, Jannik Sinner is set to return to the ATP Tour at the Vienna Open. The 24-year-old will take on Daniel Altmaier for his opening round encounter at the event, and he will likely run into compatriot Flavio Cobolli next.