Pellegrini: "Sinner? Happy for him. Do you ask everyone this question?"

"Did I talk about him? I talked about him months ago, saying that in my opinion he didn't do anything voluntarily."

Is Federica Pellegrini happy about Jannik Sinner's victory at Wimbledon? The Italian swimming legend answered a question on the sidelines of the event where the medals for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are presented. "Happy about Sinner's victory? Yes, very much so. He deserved it. But I'd be curious to know if you ask this question to every athlete," says Pellegrini, who has been targeted on social media by fans of the Italian tennis player in the last few hours .

It all stems from an interview in recent months in which Pellegrini spoke out about the Clostebol case involving Sinner: the world number one tennis player was suspended for three months in a matter that WADA did not consider to be doping. Pellegrini believes Sinner enjoyed special treatment compared to other athletes.

"Did I talk about him? I talked about him months ago, saying that in my opinion he didn't do anything intentionally . It was you who put things together, I think I'm free to express an opinion regarding the management," she says, using a complex formula that seems to refer to the process and not the conduct of the South Tyrolean athlete. "Talking about him is another matter; in my opinion, it wasn't right to conflate the two," she says.