Jannik Sinner won the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz, but in the stands, Italy was clearly outnumbered by Spain, at least in terms of institutional presence . A difference that was immediately noticed, amid controversy not only on social media.
"It's an own goal for Italy," says the AVS group leader in the Senate, Luana Zanella, while the Democratic Party's head of sports, Mauro Berruto, calls "the absence of government representatives regrettable, at this historic moment, and the absence of the CONI president sensational."
"There were no members of the government, no institutions, and we're sorry about that. It would have been nice to be there. The most important thing is to celebrate Sinner's victory," commented yesterday the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi , when asked about the absence of institutional representatives from Rome on Centre Court, where Sinner's ambassador to Great Britain, Inigo Lambertini, was present, and Alcaraz was cheered on by King Felipe of Spain and the Interior Minister of Madrid. "I witnessed Sinner's victory from afar; unlike other times, I didn't go. Even a minister sometimes needs to take a break and spend a day with his family," added Abodi.
An explanation that Matteo Renzi, leader of the Italian Youth Party (IV), calls " ridiculous ." The minister did not address the now tense relationship with FITP President Binaghi, who had objected to the inclusion of "binding" rules for the Italian ATP Finals in the Sports Decree. The minister simply explained that the decree "establishes a structured relationship between the federation and Sport e Salute, which represents sports policy as the operational arm of the government. I hope the agreement can be a tool that guarantees the centrality of the federation itself and Sport e Salute." This explanation did not convince Berruto and Renzi, who unanimously demanded that the government "keep its hands off the ATP Finals."
The triumph of the South Tyrolean world number 1, the first ever by an Italian tennis player in the London major, will still be recognized at the palace in Rome.
