Former world No 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova has launched a passionate defence of Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya as she rubbished suggestions that the Italian withdrew from the Paris Olympics because of Kalinskaya.
World No 1 Sinner was one of the hot favourites to win a medal at Paris 2024, but he pulled out of the Games on the eve of the tournament due to tonsillitis while a couple of days later Kalinskaya withdrew from the Washington Open due to a wrist injury.
Just a week prior Sinner and world No 17 Kalinskaya were spotted enjoying some off time in Sardinia and social media was abuzz with pictures of the tennis couple at the beach.
But it soon turned into a witch hunt with some blaming the Russian for Sinner’s withdrawal.
However, Kuznetsova – who won the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open – has slammed those who questioned the pair’s commitment as she used four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz as an example of double standards when it comes to reporting about tennis players.
“It was obvious that Anna Kalinskaya would be blamed for Jannik Sinner’s inability to participate in the Olympic Games. Because it is obvious: the girlfriends of famous players are more in the spotlight,” she is quoted as saying by Tuttosport.
“After his win at Wimbledon, Alcaraz went to Ibiza with friends drinking and having fun, Jannik was in Sardinia with his girlfriend in more calm conditions and got sick.
“These things happen, why do people care where a person spends their holidays? Without the victory at Wimbledon would people criticise Alcaraz for Ibiza? Every athlete is free to choose how to spend their holidays and free time.”
Sinner and Kalinskaya started dating earlier this year, but their relationship only became public during the French Open.
Kuznetsova added: “The haters will blame her for any failures of the tennis player. The Internet is already full of articles, in Italy they post photos of the couple with mocking captions: ‘This is Sinner’s tonsillitis’.
“I have also seen comments that Jannik withdrew from the Olympics in support of Anna: they say her country was oppressed at the Games and he is taking revenge for her. It is completely nonsense, of course.”
The pair are not the only high-profile couple in tennis as Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are dating while Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur are also in a relationship.
“Paula Badosa, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ girlfriend, is also constantly criticised. And here everything is aggravated by the fact that Jannik is now No 1 in the world, has a strong rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, and Anna has only recently appeared in Sinner’s life,” Kuznetsova said.
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