Kimi Antonelli and Jannik Sinner “too perfect”: the comment sparks debate

In an interview with Radio Sportiva, journalist Stefano Cecchi takes a contrarian view of Italian sports stars Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Jannik Sinner, whom he sees as “hyper-perfect.” “Both are champions of a changing Italy: given how we Italians see ourselves, we view them as distant.”

“In my opinion, an Italian champion also has flaws—take Alberto Tomba, for example, who threw his Crystal Globe at a photographer: that’s just how we are. I get the impression that Antonelli and Sinner have this hyper-perfection that isn’t Italian,” is the opinion that’s sparking debate on social media.

“I prefer a different kind of champion—one who endures suffering, one who pushes himself to his limits. I’ll name two: Marco Pantani and Pietro Mennea. In my opinion, they embody that idea of sacrifice.”

“Sinner is perhaps the greatest Italian athlete of all time—certainly among the top five. Right now, we have two incredible champions: him and Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver, though, is more human. Sinner doesn’t even realize that he can’t just be a champion on the court but sometimes off it, too. With all the tournaments out there, he decided to return to the most trivial one of them all… it’s the kind of event that doesn’t even award ATP points—it’s an exhibition for the wealthy who can afford to have the current champion in their backyard.”