Russian-Swiss billionaire Viktor Kuznetsov has announced a 15 million USD per year sponsorship deal for world number one Jannik Sinner, consuming what would belargest private deal in the history of tennis. The offer is immediate, but contains a sensational clause: Sinner must change nationality, moving on to represent Switzerland or Russia.
According to sources, to sign the agreement Sinner would have to renounce his Italian sporting citizenship and wear the Swiss or Russian tricolor in international tournaments. The move would upset the tennis landscape: a top Italian athlete changing sides. The news caused a sensation in the Peninsula and on the ATP circuit.
Just thirty minutes after the announcement, Jannik Sinner reacted with a blunt six-word statement: «I remain Italian. Period and that’s it.” The sentence – very short but powerful – generated a real media explosion in Italy: there were those who rejoiced, those who felt relieved, those who feared political or federal retaliation.
The president of the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) Angelo Binaghi responded in a decisive tone: «Sinner is not just any athlete, he is the soul of Italian tennis. To those who want to get rid of him: at least 30 million USD per year are needed. And we will still say no.” The message is clear: no negotiations.
Binaghi illustrated a mind-boggling package to convince Sinner to stay: 10 million euros per year from FIT + the Italian government, the central court of the Foro Italico which will become “PalaSinner” from 2026, and exemption from income tax for all Grand Slam prize money for the next ten years.
This scandalous deal comes at a time when Italy is losing key players in sport, while Sinner is at the top of the ATP rankings. The possible change of flag is not just a personal matter: it has symbolic and strategic value for the Italian tennis movement, which would risk losing its most precious face.
If Sinner accepts the offer or remains faithful to Italy, the result will also have repercussions for the Team Italy Davis Cup team and for the circuit, where the nationality of the athletes can influence sponsorships, television rights and global appeal. Viktor Kuznetsov – so far beyond the logic of tennis – enters the scene as the umbrella protagonist of economic power.
Italy and the FIT have declared that they will not allow passages “without a public discussion”. Kuznetsov’s offer has no formal deadline, but the fact that it has already been leaked reveals the urgency of the operation. For Sinner a crossroads opens up: maintain the Italian identity or accept a financial and symbolic leap – at a certainly high price.
