Larissa Iapichino Proposes to Jannik Sinner

Larissa Iapichino, the newly crowned gold medalist in the long jump at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, spoke in an interview with Rivista Undici about the world’s number one, who sent her a congratulatory message a few days ago regarding her victory (“It left me speechless”).

“I’m a fan of Sinner’s, just like everyone else. I’ve never met him, but I’d really love to. What would I ask him? Actually, I wouldn’t ask him much, but I find him extremely likable because he’s so genuine. He’s someone who goes beyond the court, and I identify with him. I see him as human; I feel we’re similar in personality: I’m also very introverted, and in some ways, I understand him—I feel close to him.”

Fiona May’s daughter, who is a year younger than the Italian tennis star, confessed: “He got me hooked on tennis not only because of the extraordinary results he’s achieved, but because of the person he is. Above all, she won me over with her authenticity and spontaneity.”

Swimming champion Sara Curtis had recently praised the Wimbledon champion for sending her a message after her medals at the European Championships: “Soccer deserves recognition for its historical and media prominence, but that doesn’t justify the ignorant and arrogant comments made about our sports. I’m not asking for it, but a soccer player would never have come down from his pedestal to congratulate me the way Jannik Sinner did. When I saw his message on my phone, I screamed.”

Sinner, who is dealing with knee problems, has withdrawn from the Masters 1000 tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati, and now his participation in the U.S. Open is also in jeopardy: he’ll decide in the coming days what to do. The goal is to return at 100% without taking any risks: the world No. 1 ranking is virtually assured from now until the end of the year.