Jannik Sinner plays down romance rumours after mobile phone photo fuels rumours
The Italian media are always eager to discover if world No 1 Jannik Sinner has a new romantic interest in his life and they asked him some questions about Danish model Laila Hasanovic after his latest match at the US Open.
Sinner was previously in a relationship with fellow tennis player Anna Kalinskaya and she was courtside to celebrate his first US Open win in New York a year ago.
Yet that relationship has now ended and Sinner confirmed he is in a new relationship in an interview with Corriere Della Sera when he was asked if he had a new girlfriend.
“Yes, but we don’t talk about our private life,” he stated, following a policy of keeping his personal story out of the media.
Yet that hope took a dent when eagle-eyed TV viewers caught a glimpse of the wallpaper Sinner is currently using on his mobile phone following his win against Denis Shapovalov on Saturday.
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Sinner had a glance at his phone after his tense four set win, with observers spotting what they believed to be an image of Hasanovic on his screen.
After confirming he is in a relationship once again, the Italian media have been speculating on the identity of the mystery woman, with any story about Sinner huge news in his homeland given his status as the world’s best tennis player.
So it was no surprise when Sinner was asked about a possible relationship with Hasanovic, amid suggestions that he was in the Danish capital of Copenhagen recently.
“No, no, there was no girl,” he responded. “I had just some business with a couple of photo shoots there. That’s it. Nothing else.”
Hasanovic is the ex-girlfriend of former Formula One driver Mick Schumacher, but that relationship is reported to have ended earlier this year.
Sinner’s eagerness to keep his private life out of the news may well ensure that he will not go public on his new relationship, as his focus will be entirely on defending his US Open title for the next weeks.
The world No 1 looked more than a little distracted as he turned in an unusually lacklustre performance against Shapovalov and he admitted he will need to improve his consistency if he is to triumph once again in New York.
“I’m not a machine. I also struggle sometimes,” he said when asked whether he was surprised by his error-strewn display against an impressive Sahpovalov.
“Today I felt like from my side I didn’t struggle. I was playing great tennis, and he also.
“Let’s see what’s coming in the next round. Let’s see. If I play in the evening, the conditions are very different.
“It’s good coming through a battle like this because I know my next match will be very tough.”
Sinner will play Alexander Bublik in his last-16 match on Monday and he will face a tough test as the Kazakhstan player has won two of his last three matches against Sinner, including a win on grass courts in Halle in June.
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