Federica Brignone sends a clear message to Jannik Sinner: “I really don’t wish that on him…”
On the sidelines of the FISI Media Day, Federica Brignone also spoke about Jannik Sinner in an interview with Sportal.it. The world No. 1, who has been sidelined since July, will not return until next January to resolve his knee issue once and for all. The elite skier, who knows a thing or two about long recoveries, wanted to offer some advice to the South Tyrolean champion: “Yes, it’s a long break—though thankfully not too long, since nothing’s broken—and look, I really wouldn’t wish that on him. The only advice I’d give is to take the time to heal and take the time to get truly well, because then you’ll be incredibly strong—and don’t let everything going on around you put pressure on you. In the end, he has to feel good and have fun.”
With Sinner out, does the focus shift back to winter sports? “There are other strong tennis players, but now our winter season is starting—there are winter sports, but of course there’s also Musetti, Berrettini, Arnaldi, and many other strong tennis players worth watching. Of course, right now there’s a bit of a lull, and there’s skiing and all the winter sports—that’s for sure. Definitely, our season is starting; it’s a slightly different sport—they play all year round, while we only do it in the winter.”
Where she finds the motivation to keep going after winning it all: “Are you really trying to make me quit…? No, joking aside, I’ve worked my whole life to be a top-level skier, so it’s not like your passion just fades away in such a short time, right? My passion for being a skier and an athlete will never fade.”
Her longevity as an athlete: “It depends on the career you’ve had and at what age—I made it big early on, but then I didn’t start winning a lot until later, so I don’t know; it depends on the person. It depends on what your life goal is—if the goal was just to excel and achieve results—but I’ve always dreamed of being an athlete; that’s what I’ve been striving for since I was 15. That was my dream, and I’m trying to live it for as long as possible.”
