Published on November 13, 2024 at 7:16 p.m. / Modified on November 13, 2024 at 9:07 p.m.
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Jannik Sinner, world number one tennis player, has become a symbol of unity in Italy, connecting the German-speaking region of South Tyrol with the rest of the country.
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German-speaking even manages to rival football in terms of television audiences and popular interest.
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Despite positive doping tests, he maintains the support of the Italians, reinforced by his simplicity, his altruism and his gratitude to his fans.
A single-digit temperature, the mountains in the background, Jannik Sinner is right at home in Turin, where the ATP Finals (formerly Masters) take place which bring together the eight best players in the world to close the tennis season. The 23-year-old Italian grew up in San Candido, a small town perched at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters in Alta Pusteria, a stone’s throw from the Austrian border. His somatic features and his accent betray him.
Thanks to a curious combination of circumstances, it was in Italy that he had the opportunity to finish his first year as world number one while strengthening ties with his homeland. His of course, and perhaps even that of all of Alto Adige, this Italian province of German-speaking culture also called “South Tyrol” or South Tyrolsuppressed under the fascist regime which prohibited the use of the German language, and where certain separatist political parties still advocate attachment to Austria.
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