John Franzoni doesn’t hold back on Jannik Sinner

From rivals in the same sport to great blue champions in different disciplines: Giovanni Franzoni and Jannik Sinner have forged a special relationship in recent times. Both born in 2001, the two faced each other several times on skis when they were children and have known each other for a long time. After Franzoni’s triumph in Kitzbuehel, the South Tyrolean congratulated him on social media with a message: “Congratulations, champion”. In a conference after the race, the Italian skier enthusiastically recounted the special bond that binds him to the champion from Sesto Pusteria.

Luca Franzosi

“Already after the time trials I was in touch with Sinner. That article had come out saying that he had beaten me, in a 2009 race, when Jannik was seven years old and still skiing. So I wrote to him because I saw that he had started following me on Instagram”, Franzoni explained to the reporters present. The world number two charged his compatriot before the World Cup race in Kitzbuehel with words that won over the skier from Lombardy.

“He is a great person, a great sportsman. He complimented me, encouraged me a lot and even left me his number – revealed Franzoni -. You can see that he is a spontaneous person. Receiving a message from such a champion can only give me a boost”. Sinner, who is currently busy at the Australian Open, took the time to dedicate a story to him on Instagram. The passion for skiing is still strong in the South Tyrolean champion, who wanted to express all his esteem for the Blue.

This is not the first time Sinner has extolled the Italian skiers. A few days ago, also in Melbourne, he had praised Federica Brignone for her great recovery from injury ahead of the Olympics: “What she has done, or is doing, regardless of the result she will get, is something extraordinary. I wish her only the best for the Olympics, because I know how much she has worked, how many hours she has spent in the gym and how much effort she has put into doing everything right”.

“Regardless of how it goes, she has done something that probably almost no one can do. There are special athletes like her, like Sofia Goggia: people who have something extra. Certainly Federica is one of those”, Sinner continued.