Flavia Pennetta Opens Up About Jannik Sinner
Wimbledon is just around the corner, and Flavia Pennetta will be one of the commentators covering the event for Italian viewers on Sky Sport. In an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, the former Italian tennis player spoke about the top seed, Jannik Sinner, whom she watched live at the Hurlingham exhibition a few days ago.
“He hits the ball in an impressive way; he’s always in the right position. He’s tall but manages to stay low. People say his game is one-dimensional, but you really have to focus on the precision and speed of his shots—they’re incredible. I saw that he’s making his debut against Kecmanovic, a player who can always be a nuisance, but Jannik’s level is far superior to everyone else’s,” Pennetta explained.
The world No. 1 needs to bounce back after a disappointing Roland Garros: “On the one hand, I think he was very disappointed to be eliminated early from Roland Garros, but on the other hand, if he has to look on the bright side, it’s that he managed to take a brief break, recover, and relax after two and a half months of an insane grueling schedule. Sure, maybe in hindsight they could have handled some things differently, but you learn from your mistakes over time.”
Pennetta was a rival of Serena Williams, who has made an incredible comeback: “She’s a wild woman; I wouldn’t go back, for heaven’s sake. In my opinion, she hasn’t even had time to truly get back into competition. She didn’t prepare for Wimbledon by coming back a few months earlier and playing singles tournaments. She was out of action for four years—you can train as much as you want, but when you’re actually playing, it’s a totally different story.”
“If Serena were to win matches and keep going, I don’t think it would be a great look for women’s tennis. But at the same time, the WTA needs a comeback like this because the players we have today don’t sell what she used to. Anyway, I’ll bring my popcorn to the Sky studio and watch her.”
