Jannik Sinner generated attention with his recent comments about what money means to him, but one of Serena Williams' former coaches thinks he is trying to be politically correct like Roger Federer.
Sinner was asked about the importance of money after appearing at the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition in Saudi Arabia that featured him, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
All players were paid a substantial $1.5 million just for participating in the Six Kings Slam. Medvedev and Rune claimed that amount despite playing just one match, while Nadal and Djokovic competed twice.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz in the final, ending a run of three losses in a row against the Spaniard. As a reward for his efforts in Saudi Arabia, Sinner secured the largest paycheck in tennis history, $6 million.
That is an extraordinary amount for a few days' work, but Sinner insisted that he does not play for money when asked about it. The 23-year-old said he competed at the Six Kings Slam to test himself against great players.
When told about Sinner's comments in a press conference before the Paris Masters, Alcaraz admitted the prize money on offer was a reason for him competing in the exhibition and that he would be lying if he answered differently.
Only Sinner knows if he is telling the truth about not playing for money. On a broader level, it is obvious the increased number of athletes willing to play in Saudi Arabia and have ties with the country's government is for financial reasons.
One person not convinced by Sinner's words is Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, who responded to what the Italian said in an episode of her podcast.
Stubbs said that although she loves Sinner, he was attempting to be politically correct like Federer used to be during his career to hide the apparent reality that going to Saudi Arabia in October was at least partially motivated by money.
"I love him so much, because he’s so trusted to be politically correct, ‘No, I didn’t go for the money. I’m just playing. The six best players in the world are there and I want to test myself’."
"Listen, Jannik, I love you, but dude, come on! There’s no way you’re adding a tournament on to your schedule. Just like Carlos [Alcaraz] said, ‘Of course I went for the money’."
"Jannik, I know you want to be politically correct with everything because you are. You want to be like Roger Federer where you say everything really well.But sometimes, you go, ‘Yeah, it was interesting. I wanted to go visit. We were getting paid a lot of money, and that’s why I went’."
Sinner is a quiet personality off the court, and the US Open champion may want to avoid saying anything that might stir the pot. His diplomatic comments about the length of the tennis calendar, compared to other players, are another example.
Fans will speculate whether the world No. 1 is sincere about not playing for money, but Sinner is the only man who knows the answer.
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