Serena Williams’ former coach Renee Stubbs has come under fire from tennis fans after defending Jannik Sinner over backlash over his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, making history as the first Italian player to win a Grand Slam title since Adriano Panatta, who won the French Open in 1976. He also joins Panatta and Nicola Pietrangeli as the only Italian men to win a major title. Pietrangeli won the title twice at Roland Garros, in his 1959 and his 1960 before the Open.
The 22-year-old received a hero’s welcome upon his triumphant return to Italy. He was also invited to visit Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office, where he shared a warm hug with the Italian Prime Minister and took a photo with him.
Tennis fans were disappointed by Jannik Sinner’s warm embrace with Meloni, considering he clearly held controversial far-right views. She is known for promoting her anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, and anti-immigrant sentiments.
But Rennai Stubbs has stood up for the world No. 4 amid the controversy, emphasizing compassion and suggesting Italy should be proud of such a man.
“You’ll never meet a nicer man than Jannik Sinner! No matter your politics or his, this is a man all Italians should be proud of,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter ) posted.
Stubbs’ justification for meeting Jannik Sinner with the Italian Prime Minister did not sit well with tennis fans. One fan wondered if Coco Gauff would maintain the same views if he shared a similar hug with former US President Donald Trump, a controversial right-wing figure similar to Meloni. did.
“Yeah, but how would you feel if Coco Gauff gave Trump a warm hug?” one fan commented.
Another fan claimed Stubbs had refrained from harsher words for Jelena Ostapenko’s on-court behavior than he had for the 22-year-old player who embraces “neo-fascist.”
“You took a tougher stance on Jelena Ostapenko’s actions on the tennis court than Sinner hugging neo-fascists,” a fan posted.
Here are some other reactions from fans:
Jannik Sinner returns to training days after historic Australian Open win
Jannik Sinner wasted no time in getting back into training after his win at the Australian Open, attending a training session just a few days after his win. Despite his busy schedule, the 22-year-old made time to hit the gym before his stint in Rome.
“Let’s get back to business before we have a busy day in Rome,” he posted on X.
The world No. 4 opted not to defend his title at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and defeated Maxime Cressy 7-6 (3) 6-3 in the ATP 250 final last year. I defeated it and won.
Jannik Sinner is expected to return to the court at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The Italian reached the final of the 2023 ATP 500 tournament. However, Daniil Medvedev won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the final, falling short of winning the title.