Jannik Sinner is the reigning World No. 1 on the ATP Tour, but it seems that in recent weeks, his off-court life has been in the spotlight much more.
While some athletes like publicity more than others, at the end of the day, tennis players want to be in the headlines for winning tournaments, beating their rivals, and impressing with their skills.
That's certainly the case for Sinner as well, as he recently added a second Grand Slam trophy to his collection by winning the US Open. He beat Taylor Fritz in the final, and while his triumph was spectacular, already during the New York Slam, the conversation surrounding Sinner wasn't tied only to his tennis.
Ahead of the last major of the season, the news came out of Sinner testing positive for a banned substance and avoiding a doping ban. That's why, during the US Open, the vast majority of questions that he was asked were somehow tied to his doping case.
But that isn't the only part of his life away from the tennis courts that piqued fans' interest. Sinner is dating a fellow player from the WTA Tour, Anna Kalinskaya, and while they have initially tried to keep their relationship private, they realized that wouldn't be possible.
Since then, the two were seen multiple times in each other's boxes during their matches, and they even shared a kiss after Sinner's win at the US Open. They motivate each other to become better, but there are also rumors surrounding their relationship.
One of the most recent rumors suggested that the two should have gotten married, or at least gotten engaged, in recent weeks. Naturally, after beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the 2024 Shanghai Masters, SInner was asked about this rumor.
The 23-year-old Italian immediately dismissed getting married to Kalinskaya, clarifying that nothing had changed in his relationship with the Russian player.
"It was new also for me, to be honest (laughing). No, I didn't ask, and nothing, nothing happened. I just read the details a little bit that it happened after the US Open, but it's all false, false news. Thank you."
With his match won and questions answered, the World No. 1 player can focus solely on his Shanghai Masters campaign, as he aims to win his first title since his triumph at Flushing Meadows.
At the recently concluded China Open, Carlos Alcaraz bested him in the final, and the Italian player certainly wants to get his revenge in Shanghai. After his most recent win against Etcheverry, he admitted that he would focus on the recovery, having played a lot of tennis in recent days.
"I'm just happy to be part of these kind of matches as always and, you know, it's, for sure, was something good. But also it's important for me that the day for tomorrow, I have one day off, which I need to recover, it's, for me, trying to prioritize this kind of thing now, and hopefully be ready for after tomorrow."