Jannik Sinner: Fans Up in Arms After the Corriere della Sera Article

A social media uproar erupted following an article about Jannik Sinner published Sunday by the online edition of *Corriere della Sera*: The piece cites data from the specialized website Tennis Connected, according to which the Italian champion earns an average of about 1,403 euros for every minute spent on the court. “Sinner earns in one minute what a factory worker earns in a month”—that’s the Corriere headline that sparked outrage among fans on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

“Stirring up controversy right now, when people are struggling to make ends meet, is a serious responsibility,” “How much does a politician earn for every minute of slacking off?”, “It happens when you’re literally the world’s number one in your field; the best…”, “Then maybe explain why he earns that much money—explain how many people Sinner impacts worldwide and the revenue he generates”, “He deserves every penny”, “You also have to consider the sacrifices he’s made to reach that level,” “These headlines aren’t good for anyone, especially the working class,” are just a few of the thousands of comments on social media.

The analysis has compiled a comprehensive ranking of economic efficiency among the top tennis players on the circuit, comparing prize money earned to the actual minutes spent on the court. In this special ranking, Sinner stands at the top thanks in part to a simply extraordinary 2026 season: so far, he has suffered just three losses and has won all five Masters 1000 tournaments played—namely, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and the Italian Open. This performance explains, at least in part, his extremely high average earnings per minute played.

Behind Sinner in the rankings is Carlos Alcaraz, with an average of 1,320 euros per minute, followed by Alexander Zverev at 1,149 euros. Further back is Novak Djokovic, at around 748 euros per minute. Surprisingly, another Italian also appears in the top five: Flavio Cobolli, who—thanks mainly to his run at Roland Garros—has surpassed 2.7 million euros in season prize money, averaging 685 euros per minute.