Jannik Sinner has been sidelined since his triumph at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, with a knee injury forcing him to end his season early. The Italian has now come under scrutiny from fans after making a decision regarding his highly anticipated return to the court.
The Six Kings Slam was initially slated to begin on October 21, prompting Sinner to withdraw from the exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Learner Tien named as his replacement.
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However, amid the unrest in the Middle East, the competition was postponed to December 27-30. The change led fans to joke about the Italian making a return to the draw as the two-time defending champion, especially with the $6 million prize awaiting the winner.
The speculation has now proved accurate, as Sinner has been reinstated to the draw and will join Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur at the rescheduled event.
Sinner’s decision prompted strong reactions from fans, with accusations that the 25-year-old was “greedy” for the substantial prize money on offer.
“Needed that blood money,” one fan posted.
“He’s greedy ash ðŸ˜ðŸ˜,” another fan chimed in.
“You couldn’t make it up, people were joking about it but it’s actually going to happen. He wants that $6m bag,” said another.
Fans continued to mock Jannik Sinner’s perceived “love” for the Saudi Arabian money, while one joked about Learner Tien now missing out on the $1.5 million appearance fee he was set to receive as the Italian’s replacement.
“Cheque cleared = knee pain cleared,” a user commented.
“Sinner loves getting that Saudi money,” another fan wrote.
“Somewhere Learner is frantically returning all the stuff he bought with the Saudi oil money he thought he was gonna get,” said yet another.
Jannik Sinner reportedly appoints new coach ahead of his tennis return
With his longtime coach Darren Cahill set to retire at the end of this season, Jannik Sinner has reportedly selected a replacement ahead of his return to the tour in 2027. According to The Times, the five-time Grand Slam champion is set to add Magnus Norman to his coaching team.
Norman has a stellar résumé as a coach. The Swede began his coaching career with Robin Soderling and led his compatriot to back-to-back French Open finals before they parted ways in 2010.
In 2013, the former World No. 2 began coaching Stan Wawrinka and helped the Swiss win three Grand Slam titles during his tenure. Norman’s efforts were recognized in 2016 when he won the inaugural ATP Coach of the Year award.
Edited by Urvi Mehra
