“If he spent less time filming ads…”: Italy’s Codacons calls to strip Jannik Sinner of national honors

Reactions continue in Italy after Jannik Sinner opted not to play the Davis Cup Finals this year. The Codacons — Coordinator of Associations for the Defense of the Environment and the Rights of Users and Consumers — from the European country, have requested that the institutional recognitions Sinner has received in Italy be revoked.

Sinner, with his 4 Grand Slam titles and after becoming the first Italian to be the ATP No. 1, has received various honors from the Italian state, including "Ambassador of Sports Diplomacy" from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Golden Collar of Sporting Merit (Collare d’Oro al Merito Sportivo) from the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), and even honorary citizenship from the City of Turin.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion has been filled with criticism following the announcement of the line-up for the Davis Cup Finals, in which the 2-time defending champion team, Italy, will not have its main star. "I've won the Davis Cup twice," said the Italian in a recent interview. "My team and I decided this because the season at the end of the year is very long, and I need an extra week off to start training sooner."

While Spain will have Carlos Alcaraz and Germany will have Alexander Zverev, Sinner will not be present. He was a hero in the last two seasons, being key to Italy's victories in 2023 against Australia and 2024 against the Netherlands, on both occasions being the team's No. 1 singles player, and even playing doubles more than once.

In Italy, criticism has rained down on Sinner today, following harsh remarks from the legendary Nicola Pietrangeli, who defined the situation as "a slap in the face" to all of Italy from the 4-time Grand Slam champion.

The Coordinator of Associations for the Defense of the Environment and the Rights of Users and Consumers (Codacons) recently joined in, demanding sanctions for the World No. 1 after he turned his back on his country. “After Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the Davis Cup, Codacons has called for the removal of all official awards and honors granted to the tennis player,” the association stated.

“Sinner’s decision to skip the Davis Cup 'represents a slap in the face to Italy, to Italians, and to millions of passionate tennis fans,'” the association explained. “Every athlete has the right to decide the direction of their career and to prioritize other interests, even economic ones, over those of the country they represent. However, such a choice must be carried out with coherence. One cannot represent Italy around the world when it comes to receiving official honors, and then make sporting choices that go in the exact opposite direction.”

“For this reason and following Sinner’s decision not to participate in the Davis Cup, we request that all honors and institutional recognitions awarded to the player be withdrawn — from his appointment as ‘Ambassador of Sports Diplomacy’ by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Collare d’Oro al merito sportivo (Golden Collar of Sporting Merit) granted by CONI, and even his honorary citizenship from the City of Turin.”

“If Sinner dedicated less time to filming commercials for every possible product, perhaps he would have more time to better represent his country—both in sport and beyond.”

This week, Sinner is competing at the Vienna Open, where he debuted with a convincing victory over the German Daniel Altmaier 6-0, 6-2 in less than an hour. The World No. 2 returned to the tournament he won in 2023 and maintains his streak following his time at the Six Kings Slam—an exhibition tournament where he won $6 million for taking the trophy.

The 4-time Major champion will be in Vienna this week seeking his 22nd professional title. His next challenges will be completed with the Paris Masters—starting next week—and then the ATP Finals in mid-November, which would be his last event of the season.