Sinner, decision made, there’s no going back. The South Tyrolean tennis player has decided to withdraw: here’s why.
Sesto Pusteria, summer 2015. A very young man Jannik Sinner he is about to make the most important decision of his life. The one that will lead him, in hindsight, to tread the most prestigious stages of tennis. And, above all, to be its undisputed protagonist. A decision that wasn’t easy but which, that’s for sure, changed his future forever.
That’s when he moved to Bordighera, at the court of the coach who “took” him from the mountains where he grew up and who forged him, making him a champion without equal. Today, Riccardo Piatti no longer coaches him, but this does not mean that the South Tyrolean tennis player has forgotten what the coach did for him, on the contrary. And he will not have forgotten, that is for sure, not even the city in which he grew up, which with its colors and its views overlooking the sea was so incredibly different from the snowy landscapes to which he was accustomed.
Bordighera hasn’t forgotten him either, so much so that the city council had decided to give him honorary citizenship, proud of the fact that the champion of the moment had grown up in that very municipality nestled in the Riviera dei Fiori (down, a video of a very young Jannik at the Piatti Center). Something, however, went wrong. Sinner, much to his surprise, actually declined the invitation from Liguria.
Sinner has decided: his is a “no”
The news was given by the president of the Bordighera council, Stefano Gnutti, who during the council meeting communicated the following: “As per the commitment made here – these are his words, according to what Prima LaRiviera reports – the following day I contacted the ‘former director of the Piatti centre, who is on excellent terms with Sinner and in fact, within a couple of days, our message arrived and was kindly returned to the sender”.
“In a very polite manner – he highlighted – as is characteristic of Sinner, he said that he finds himself forced to refuse, because let’s say that he is pressured by a thousand situations and prefers to avoid them”. The councilors didn’t take Sinner’s two of spades badly, so much so that they wanted to draw up a document to send to the champion.
“Although we are sorry – we read – we understand the reasons that today lead you not to accept honorary citizenship. Your determination to achieve further extraordinary goals requires absolute dedication, profound spirit of sacrifice and unfortunately some painful but forced choices. Rest assured that the city of Bordighera will continue to support you, proud to have welcomed the first steps of your exceptional sporting career and happy to award you its highest recognition should, in the future, you wish to reconsider our proposal.”
