Jannik Sinner changed Usain Bolt’s mind: post-match exchange of banter

Usain Bolt watched Jannik Sinner’s match against Ugo Humbert in Monte Carlo: the South Tyrolean tennis player ruled the Frenchman in two easy sets under the eyes of the athletics legend, who followed the match closely.

Before the tournament, Bolt had confessed that he preferred Carlos Alcaraz to Sinner, but only because “I met him once before in Spain. So I would vote for him,” he had told Eurosport. But the Jamaican legend has now caught up and showed great appreciation for the Italian, so much so that after the match he wanted to meet him.

The two had a brief exchange of banter, with Sinner asking him “did you have a good time?” and Bolt giving an affirmative answer, and then greeting him warmly with a hug, later posted on social media by both sportsmen. The former world’s fastest athlete may have changed his mind about the South Tyrolean.

Sinner was very honored at the press conference, “It’s always nice when athletes from other sports come to see us tennis players. Bolt, however, is a legend, I’m just starting my journey … I knew from before that he was going to watch the match. On the court I focused, then it was nice to share that moment.”

The Blue commented on his success against Humbert as follows, “The first matches are always difficult, with a left-hander then…. I had good feelings. You have to adapt on all surfaces: the hardest thing is sliding but the best training is the matches.” Sinner is chasing his second career success on clay: the first he had achieved in Umag in 2022. The Blue, who has won all the major tournaments on cement, wants to finally impose himself on the slower surface in a major event.