"Italian but not too much": article on Jannik Sinner sparks storm

“Sinner, Italian but not too much”: the article by Mauro Mazza, former director of TG2, published in L’Arena on Saturday, April 18, is stirring up a storm on social media, and provoking the reactions of thousands of furious Jannik Sinner fans. As other journalists such as Corrado Augias, Aldo Cazzullo, and Bruno Vespa have written before, Mazza has put the Italian-ness of the South Tyrolean athlete in his crosshairs.

“That red-haired tall man we admire, his triumphs warm our hearts (while he remains almost impassive) but we don’t love him,” is the opening of Mazza’s article. “Jannik Sinner is too different from the average Italian,” “He is Italian in a manner of speaking,” Mazza continues, not because of the' “Austrian accent” but because he is “perfect, too different to feel close to us.” “He tries hard, he gives it his all, he has even learned (almost) all the words of Mameli’s Anthem,” but that is not enough, writes Mazza according to whom Matteo Berrettini is instead a “real Italian, like the one in Toto Cutugno’s song.”

“No, Sinner is not like us,” is the RAI journalist’s conclusion. Nor is he like what we would like to become by rubbing Aladdin’s lamp. After all, we also like our flaws because of that all-Italian alchemy that hyenas together brilliant strokes and glaring mistakes.”

The article has unleashed the anger of Italian fans, many of whom cannot believe their eyes. Among the most furious is also former Italian national team player Aldo Serena, who on X sent a message to Mazza: “Dear ⁦@MauroMazzaRai⁩ use the singular and not the plural, have the courage of your actions and do not involve us. I am not like you and I am amazed that a man, a journalist who has been part of the public service has such narrow-minded thinking.”

“Mind-boggling analysis,” “I really don’t understand why anyone would write an article of such gratuitous livor,” “Never have I read so many clichés infused with ignorance and disrespect as in this article,” “Article of deadly banality, full of sad clichés, stuffed to bursting point, with meanness and stupidity,” The article is chock full of judgments and prejudices…. of the worst kind,” comments number in the thousands.