Patrick Mouratoglou has urged Jannik Sinner\u2019s critics that the Italian\u2019s decision to miss the Davis Cup Finals should be \u201crespected\u201d amid ongoing criticism.<\/p>\n
World No 2 Sinner<\/a> was a key part of Italy\u2019s back-to-back Davis Cup triumphs in 2023 and 2024, with the nation looking to become the first since 1971 to win three straight titles at the men\u2019s team event.<\/p>\n However, the four-time Grand Slam champion will not be in action in this year\u2019s Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, held from November 18-23<\/a>, with the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Flavio Cobolli set to spearhead the home nation\u2019s quest.<\/p>\n Sinner was not included in captain Filippo Volandri\u2019s squad when the team was announced earlier this week, and has since revealed that his decision is designed to give him more time to prepare for 2026 and his title defence at the Australian Open next January.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old\u2019s defence has sparked a mixed reaction; while former Italian stars Adriano Panatta and Paolo Bertolucci defended his decision, Italian icon Nicola Pietrangeli described it as a \u201cslap in the face\u201d for Italian sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Sinner has now found another high-profile backer in the form of Mouratoglou<\/a>.<\/p>\n Taking to his LinkedIn<\/em> page on Friday, the Frenchman claimed it was \u201ca good thing\u201d that players had freedom to make such choices amid the crowded tennis calendar.<\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cLeave Jannik Sinner alone.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been telling people since he announced he would skip the Davis Cup, at home.<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner sends a clear message after heavy criticism of his Davis Cup decision<\/a><\/p>\n Serena Williams predicts whether Carlos Alcaraz can break Novak Djokovic\u2019s Grand Slam record<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve read that he might even skip Paris to focus on the ATP Finals even if that no longer seems to be relevant today, based on his latest quote in Vienna. And yes, to some people, that sounds shocking, especially when you see him play an exhibition but not a Masters 1000 or the Davis Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cBut let\u2019s take a step back.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually think it\u2019s a good thing. Not that he skips Davis Cup specifically, but that top players today finally have the freedom to make their own choices.<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, tennis players have been living under a mandatory schedule. But players aren\u2019t machines. They know their bodies. They know when to push, when to rest, and when it\u2019s time to protect their future.\u201d<\/p>\n The Davis Cup Finals will take place at the end of the 2025 season, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals all held within the space of six days.<\/p>\n The format of the Finals has continued to attract criticism, as the event continues to move away from the traditional \u2018home and away\u2019 format that was previously used across all stages of the event, including the final; it is now reserved solely for the qualifying stage.<\/p>\n And, Mouratoglou suggested that the \u201cprestige\u201d of the event had changed in recent years, with the timing of the event also not conducive to Sinner\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cDavis Cup is a beautiful event, but it\u2019s not what it used to be. It\u2019s changed a lot, it\u2019s lost some of its prestige, and it comes at the very end of an exhausting season.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysically and emotionally, it\u2019s one of the hardest events in the sport, especially when you\u2019re your country\u2019s No 1, and the pressure of victory sits on your shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cSo yes, I understand the disappointment of Italian fans. But I also understand Jannik\u2019s decision. He\u2019s earned the right to choose what\u2019s best for him, and that should be respected.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Next<\/strong>: Saudi Arabia ATP Masters 1000 key information: Format, start date, and where it fits into the calendar<\/a><\/p>\n The post Jannik Sinner\u2019s shock Davis Cup decision \u2018should be respected\u2019, claims top coach<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Patrick Mouratoglou has urged Jannik Sinner\u2019s critics that the Italian\u2019s decision to miss the Davis Cup Finals should be \u201crespected\u201d amid ongoing criticism. World No 2 Sinner was a key part of Italy\u2019s back-to-back Davis Cup triumphs in 2023 and 2024, with the nation looking to become the first since 1971 to win three straight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Tennis News<\/h2>\n