Jannik Sinner and mom Siglinde: comes the beautiful message from Federica Pellegrini’s mother

The pictures of Jannik Sinner’s mother Siglinde’s tension during the semifinals and final of the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome have gone viral. In the difficult match against Medvedev Siglinde even left the grandstand of the Central court due to too much nervousness, during the final with Casper Ruud she instead managed to stay in her seat, albeit often with a hand in front of her eyes.

The images generated sympathy and solidarity from Cinzia Lionello, mother of former swimming star Federica Pellegrini, who knows well what it feels like in those moments: “I definitely lived the same tension during Federica’s competitions. When I saw her I thought, ‘Damn, how I understand her.’ But I have to say that then it also remains a beautiful emotion,” she told Corriere della Sera.

“Usually, if I was present at the races, I would yell, but when there was an important one, I would shut up and I couldn’t sit still. I would walk up and down the bleachers, out of the pool and back in. The waiting was perhaps worse than the competition itself: after all, unlike tennis, my daughter’s competitions were resolved in a matter of a handful of minutes.”

“When we followed Federica from home, we didn’t want anyone, because my husband and I were already quite tense,” she continued. “If we stayed at home, we tried to sit in the same seats as the last winning competition, even keeping the items where they were before. Probably what every parent who follows their children in sports does.”

Cinzia Lionello has only one message to send to Sinner’s mother: “I think everyone handles the tension as they can, however, I congratulate her because Jannik is an exceptional boy.”