**SPARKS LIVE: “Power does not give permission to offend others” – Jannik Sinner leaves everyone astonished with a harsh statement against Elly Schlein**
January 11, 2026 – Rome, Italy
What few would have ever imagined happened.
During the broadcast “Che tempo che fa” on Rai 3, Sunday 10 January, Jannik Sinner – world number 1, national symbol and golden boy of Italian tennis – transformed an apparently calm interview into a head-on collision that left Italy speechless.
In front of him, Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, a symbolic figure of the progressive left, appeared visibly taken aback for the first time, forced into a tense smile and an awkward defense.
It all started with an innocent question from host Fabio Fazio: the role of athletes as social models, and the weight of words in a polarized era.
Schlein took the opportunity to send a message about inclusion, citing the case of Sara Errani, former Italian tennis champion, now 38 years old and still active in doubles.
In an interview given two weeks earlier to La Repubblica, Schlein had said, among other things: “Sara Errani represents an outdated generation, an old figure in modern tennis. The future lies in the new generations, more inclusive and open.”
The sentence, read aloud by Fazio, triggered something in Sinner.
The South Tyrolean champion, who until then had responded with his usual calm, looked up, took the microphone and uttered the phrase that made the studio freeze:
**“Power does not give permission to offend others.”**
Silence fell like a heavy blanket. Ten seconds flat, without a breath, without a cough. Schlein smiled, but the smile was tense, forced, almost embarrassed. Fazio tried to intervene, but Sinner continued, in a low but cutting tone:
“Sara Errani won a Roland Garros in doubles, reached the Wimbledon final, carried the Italian flag at the Olympic Games. She fought against very serious injuries, she came back several times when everyone said it was over. And you call her ‘old and outdated’? It’s offensive. It’s hypocritical.
It is the attitude of those who use power to belittle those who do not fit into their ideological framework.”
The studio audience was transfixed. Schlein tried to reply: “It wasn’t my intention to offend, I just wanted to underline the generational change…”. But Sinner interrupted her with a blunt question:
“So for you, generational change means throwing away those who have given everything for this sport? Or does it just mean celebrating those who align with your ideas?”
The shot was surgical. Schlein stammered something about “inclusion” and “progress,” but the message was clear: He had no solid answers. Sinner continued, without ever raising his voice:
“Sport is not politics. Sport is sacrifice, it is respect for those who came before, it is gratitude. Sara Errani is not ‘surpassed’. She is an example.
And if the power you represent thinks it can offend those who have written pages of history just because it doesn’t fit into your story, then perhaps it is your story that is outdated.”
At that point the studio exploded. Spontaneous, thunderous applause started from the front rows and spread everywhere. Even some technicians behind the scenes clapped their hands. Schlein kept his smile, but his face was ashen.
Fazio tried to close with a “well, it was a heated discussion”, but it was too late.
Within 15 minutes the video went viral. #SinnerVsSchlein has climbed all the Italian trends, exceeding 2 million interactions in a few hours.
The clips multiplied on X, Instagram and TikTok: the 10-second silence, Sinner’s steady gaze, Schlein’s tense smile, the final applause.
Comments like “Endgame”, “Jannik did what we all would like to do”, “The golden boy brought politics to its knees” invaded the web.
The next day, the newspapers dedicated entire pages to the story. La Repubblica had the headline “Sinner challenges Schlein: sport does not bow to politics”. Corriere della Sera spoke of “a moment of uncomfortable truth”. Il Giornale rejoiced: “Finally someone has said enough”.
The international media also picked up the news: The Guardian wrote “Italian tennis star takes on leftist leader in live TV showdown”, while L’Équipe spoke of “an emblematic case of the tension between sport and ideology”.
The political reaction was immediate. Fratelli d’Italia and Lega rode the wave, defining Sinner as “the voice of Italian common sense”. The PD issued a statement underlining that “Schlein’s words had been misunderstood” and that “inclusion is a fundamental value”.
But the damage to her image had been done: the secretary of the PD appeared weak, on the defensive, unable to stand up to a 24-year-old boy.
Sara Errani, contacted in the evening by Sky Sport, commented with emotion: “I didn’t expect Jannik to take such a strong position. I was pleased to know that there are those who recognize the value of those who have given everything for this sport. Thank you, Jannik”.
Sinner, for his part, maintained his usual line: few words. On Instagram he published only a photo of the Vienna trophy with the caption: “For those who preceded us and for those who still fight. Thank you all”. No direct attacks, no prolonged controversy. Only dignity.
The case has opened a profound debate in Italy: to what extent can and should sport be neutral? Can a champion refuse to bow to ideological narratives? And above all: who has the right to define who is “passed” and who is not?
For many, the evening of January 10, 2026 was not just a televised argument. It was the moment in which a boy from San Candido demonstrated that true power is not in shouting louder than others, but in telling the truth calmly, without fear.
And while social networks continue to go crazy, one thing is certain: Elly Schlein’s image has been deeply affected. And that of Jannik Sinner? Higher than ever.
