Jannik Sinner has generated attention on and off the court this season. His relationship with the WTA star Anna Kalinskaya is one development that has attracted media focus.
Sinner became a worldwide name after winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. He overcame Daniil Medvedev by dramatically recovering from two sets down.
His rise to stardom on the court continued last month when he secured the US Open title, beating Taylor Fritz in a one-sided final. He also became the world No. 1 for the first time during the French Open.
Unfortunately for Sinner, much of the attention he has attracted off the court has not been welcome. There was intense media scrutiny after his two positive tests for a banned substance became public a few days before the US Open.
Sinner avoided a ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared him of wrongdoing, accepting Sinner's explanation of how the banned substance entered his system and feeling he bore no fault for the positive tests.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case, arguing the 23-year-old bears more negligence than the ITIA initially found and should receive a ban of between one and two years.
All those factors mean many fans were interested when Sinner's relationship with Anna Kalinskaya became public in May. Kalinskaya dated the controversial former Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios a few years previously.
Since they made their relationship public, sinner and Kalinskaya have regularly been seen at each other's matches. The pair shared a kiss after the Italian won the US Open final against Fritz.
The ATP world No. 1 admitted the kiss was a nice moment between the two during an interview with CCTV5 and said they always try to support each other as much as possible during their hectic schedules.
"It was a nice moment. We just support each other as much as we can."
Kalinskaya was also in the stands for Sinner's brutal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the China Open final. He lost to his fellow young rival in a final set tiebreak after over three hours on-court in Beijing.
After that tough loss, Kalinskaya affectionately hugged Sinner. The two-time Grand Slam winner said that although the pair are different tennis players, they still try to give each other positive energy during their matches.
"As tennis players we are, you know, different. I am different also to other tennis players. But for sure I always try to support her because she also tries to support me, giving some positive energy."
The pair are currently in different parts of China. Sinner is competing at the Shanghai Masters, while Kalinskaya is preparing to play at the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year at the Wuhan Open.
That makes coming to each other's matches impossible at the moment. However, Sinner and Kalinskaya will undoubtedly return to supporting each other by attending matches when it is possible for them to do so.
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