Jannik Sinner‘s decision to withdraw from the Canadian Open hasn’t quite gone down well with Fabio Fognini. Though it isn’t a surprise that the Italian has decided to take a break after his triumphant Wimbledon campaign, his compatriot took a subtle dig at him for not living up to the standards by drawing a comparison with the Big Three.

“Today anyone can win a Masters 1000, in my time Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal), and Nole (Djokovic) didn’t skip a single one, it was impossible,” Fognini told in an interview with Sky Sports Italia.

“I’m not surprised by Jannik’s withdrawal from Montreal, it’s right to save himself for the US Open. It could be an opportunity for [fellow Italians] [Lorenzo] Musetti or [Matteo] Berrettini.”

Sinner’s absence will definitely be a big blow for the Canadian Open as a whole, as several headline players have already withdrawn from the event. This includes Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, both of whom are now expected to return at the Cincinnati Masters, which will commence on August 13.

Sinner may also begin his hard-court season in Cincinnati. In his absence, the likes of Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Luciano Darderi, Matteo Arnaldi, Matteo Berrettini, Mattia Bellucci and Lorenzo Sonego are expected to be the Italian players to participate in the National Bank Open.

This is the second year running that Sinner has withdrawn from the Canadian Open. So, he won’t be losing any points on the rankings despite not playing in the event. On the other hand, the World No. 1 will certainly lose a massive number of points if he misses the Cincinnati Masters.

This is because he made the final of the tournament last year. Sinner had come quite close to winning the event for the second consecutive time, but a viral illness forced him to pull out while trailing 5-0 to Carlos Alcaraz in the first set.

Though Sinner has a mammoth 4,970-point lead over World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, he wouldn’t want to put his foot too much off the gas. Not to mention that a withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters can invite even more criticism towards him from both the Italian fans and media.

Sinner’s withdrawal from the Canadian Open has already left the Italian media quite incensed, and they have lashed out at him for his decision.

Jannik Sinner’s decision over the Canadian Open enrages Italian media

An Italian journalist criticized Sinner for not playing in Canada and even went on to describe him as an “anti-character”.

“A sportsman needs to be a character,” said Simone Eterno, a journalist at Eurosport Italia. “He is an anti-character; we need to realize that Sinner is like that. He has no intention of saying or doing anything.”

This isn’t even the first time that Sinner has come under the scrutiny of the Italian media. He had faced severe criticism just last year for not participating in the 2025 Davis Cup. Having led the Italian team to the title in both the 2023 and 2024 editions, Sinner was expected to play a crucial role in their campaign for a third consecutive year.

But he decided to pull out because the tournament was held just days after his triumph at the 2025 ATP Finals. This move angered many Italian media figures at that time, and it even resulted in them bashing Sinner for living in Monaco.

“It annoys me so much that Sinner lives in Monte Carlo,” prominent Italian journalist Giovanna Botteri said during a televised discussion via Tennis World USA. “What I always ask myself is: what do you do with €70 million a year? You buy yourself a house, okay, maybe a scooter, a car, two cars. Then you buy a house for your son. But after that? I mean, €70 million. These people have houses and things they do not even remember owning.”

While the Italian media may have their opinions about Sinner’s withdrawal from the Canadian Open, it won’t be wrong to say that the World No. 1 has earned a well-deserved break after a grueling few months on the Tour.