Italian tennis is making headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons. The 2024 season saw the nation’s proud native, Jannik Sinner, bring glory with individual accomplishments and a back-to-back Davis Cup feat in Malaga. While Italy looks to emerge as the rising dominating force in the sport, not all the fans seem to be overly impressed by it.

Apart from Sinner’s stunning showcase this year, the recent annual ATP Awards for the season have shocked the community. Not one, or two, but every single award on the event’s checklist was signed off to an Italian. While this marks an impressive footing for the Italians, fans are bewildered. Reasonable enough, they’ve had plenty of reasons to lament the awards event’s outcome.

Jannik Sinner sent shockwaves through the sport after he was caught in the middle of a nasty doping controversy. That was surprising enough until Sinner was voted the ATP Singles Player for the season. This was bound to elicit strong reactions from fans, but more updates were forthcoming.

As per the latest revelation, Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavasorri received the doubles category accolades. Countryman Matteo Berrettini was voted as the Comeback Player of the Year. Sinner’s coach, Simone Vagnozzi, also won the Marche Award, an award aimed at decorating the best coaches of the season. Moreover, the event also revealed that Italy will continue as the ATP Finals host till 2030.

However, what seemingly irked fans the most, is the fact that the ATP’s CEO, Massimo Calvelli, and the executive chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, are Italians. With an all-Italy domination at the awards, fans took to X and voiced their concerns over the year-end award results.

Fans condemn ATP over Italian dominance at the annual awards

Following the awardee’s name declaration, multiple fans took to their social media handles to lament the surprise outcome of the ATP Awards. One user brutally backlashed the tour with a hilarious remark, “Hahahha they have no shame.” Another fan questioned whether Jannik Sinner’s coach Massimo Calvelli won the Coach of the Year award, subtly condemning the award’s essence where at times accolades have been awarded to members caught in worrisome controversial matters. “Is Sinner’s coach (responsible for doping) also voted coach of the year?”

For those unaware, World No. 1 Sinner hit a rough patch earlier this year at the Indian Wells Masters after testing positive for a banned anabolic. It came to public knowledge before his US Open campaign, and before fans knew it, the ITIA awarded him a ‘no guilt or negligence’ verdict. Sinner explained the contamination stating that his staff members were responsible for causing the contamination that led to the positive dope test.

This, in turn, prompted players like Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapavalov to criticize the tour for letting the Italian walk away scot-free. It was later revealed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) filed for an appeal to overturn the decision, citing the need for a minimum of 1-2 year ban imposed on the two-time Grand Slam champion. The final verdict is now slated to air in February or later.

One fan took potshots at the awards by labeling them as “total BS,” while another suggested whether the awards were only “voted for by Italians?” A netizen hilariously stated how the ATP is fractions away from renaming Rome the new capital for Roland Garros by declassing the clay court Slam into a Masters 1000 event in Paris. “At this point.. they are close to change RG to an M1000. And Roma be the new Grand Slam in clay.”

With tensions rising, it is unclear how ATP will address the situation. But they would want to compensate for the hard feelings of the fans. What’s your take on this whole situation? Let us know in the comments below.