‘This is ridiculous’ – Fans fume at Italian media for linking Anna Kalinskaya’s affair with Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon loss

Top seed Jannik Sinner and his girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya recently suffered back-to-back exits from Wimbledon in men's singles and women's singles, respectively. The star couple continued their rich run of form with a strong start to the prestigious tournament, but their campaign came to an abrupt end.

Australia Open 2024 winner Sinner arrived in England on the back of the Halle Championship. Kalinskaya, on the other hand, finished as runner-up in Berlin. She was forced to end her Wimbledon campaign in the fourth round against Elena Rybakina due to injury. The following day, her boyfriend suffered a quarter-final loss against Daniil Medvedev.

Also Check: In Pics: Who is Wimbledon semi-finalist Daniel Medvedev's wife? All about Daria Medvedeva 

The World No. 1 said during the post-match interview that he had not been feeling well since the morning of the match. “Already this morning I didn’t feel great. Had some problems. Then with the fatigue, it was tough,” Sinner said.

“I went off the court actually. I didn’t want to go off. The physio told me better to take some time because he watched me, and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It was not an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today,” he added.  

What Italian media tried to pull off and how did the fans react?

An Italian media outlet Corriere Della Sera linked Sinner’s loss to his relationship with Kalinskaya. The article pointed out that the 22-year-old should have avoided attending the matches of his girlfriend.  

"With hindsight, it is easy to say that Jannik could have avoided the hours spent during the tournament on the sidelines of his girlfriend, Anna Kalinskaya: in London, especially the first week of Wimbledon, it rains, it is cold, it is very humid," the article read (translated from Italian).

Notably, both were in the stands to support each other during their respective matches at Wimbledon. However, Sinner's fans couldn't fathom how the media could link that to his loss, despite his strong fight against arch-rival Medvedev.  

"I wondered how much longer we would have to wait to read that Sinner's troubles were blamed on Anna Kalinskaya," one fan said on X.

"You are slightly absurd. It took almost 5 hours of play. He tried everything to be able to win even if he was sick. This girlfriend thing is ridiculous. Shame on you," another fan said.

"In 2024 we see things like this where National newspapers attribute the #Sinner virus in some way to his relationship, lack of sleep and many other things... The press is one of the first things that should change in this country... Deep meh," yet another fan opined.

Also Read: Jasmine Paolini storms into second consecutive Grand Slam final, defeats Donna Vekic at Wimbledon

Meanwhile, following his exit from Wimbledon, Sinner decided to take a break from the sport. He announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 Bastad Open due to fatigue.