Valentino Rossi meets Jannik Sinner in Milan, says the tennis star's knee still bothers him

The first meeting in person

Valentino Rossi and Jannik Sinner met face to face for the first time in Milan, after exchanging messages. Rossi, a nine-time motorcycle world champion, described the encounter on Radio Deejay's "Deejay chiama Italia", hosted by Linus and Nicola Savino, where he was promoting his book La Mia Storia, which goes on sale on Tuesday, 10 November. According to Rossi, both men were staying at the Palazzo Parigi, a five-star hotel in Milan where Sinner had arrived to continue treatment on his knee. Rossi's trainer Carlo had heard that Sinner's trainer was in the hotel too, so Rossi wrote to the tennis player, and the two met on the evening of Sunday, 8 November.

“We were in the same hotel, last night we met. We had been texting, but it was the first time we saw each other.”

What Rossi said about the knee

Asked by Linus about the knee, Rossi said Sinner is in Milan to try to resolve the problem, which still gives him some discomfort, and that he looked well. He described the tennis player as tall and smiling and said he had made a good impression. Rossi added that Sinner enjoys motorsport, including Formula 1 and MotoGP.

“Jannik is handsome, he is in shape and he is a tall, big guy.”

Sinner has not played since the Wimbledon final in July, which he won. The articles describe his problem in different terms, one citing an inflamed tendon and another iliotibial band syndrome. One report says he has been training mainly in the gym in Monte-Carlo.

Return plans and staff

Sinner will not play at the ATP Finals in Turin, although his presence in the city is announced for the unveiling of a new racket model. He is aiming to return at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh at the end of December. Sinner has announced that Magnus Norman will replace Darren Cahill on his staff. Whether and when he can increase his training loads ahead of the Australian Open remains open.

Rankings

Alexander Zverev keeps the top spot in the ATP rankings, while Sinner is second for a second consecutive week. Zverev lost his opening match at the Paris Masters to Lorenzo Musetti in his first week as world number one, but he is already assured of ending the season at the top. Carlos Alcaraz is third after winning the Paris Masters, beating Ben Shelton 7-6, 7-5 in the final for the fifth title of 2026 and the 29th of his career. Ben Shelton is fourth and Flavio Cobolli is sixth.