Why Jannik Sinner will not attend the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony as planned

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, February 6 in Milan.

But Jannik Sinner, the ATP world number two and four-time Grand Slam champion, won’t be in attendance.

Many expected Sinner to play a role in the Opening Ceremony, having been appointed as a ‘Volunteer Ambassador for the Games’.

There were even rumors that Sinner would be a torchbearer in Milan…

As some criticise the Italian for his decision, it has now been revealed why he won’t be making an appearance.

Jannik Sinner chooses to focus on training ahead of the Qatar Open

After losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open, Sinner is determined to return to winning ways as soon as possible.

He’ll play his next tournament in Doha, at the Qatar Open.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner will soon head to Qatar and begin training for the tournament.

Prioritising his training over a public appearance in Milan-Cortina, Sinner will hope his decision pays off.

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An early exit in the Middle East wouldn’t go down well with his many Italian fans.

But who will he have to beat on his way to the title in Qatar?

He’ll be joined by world number one Carlos Alcaraz, and world number three Novak Djokovic.

The likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Daniil Medvedev, and 2025 champion Andrey Rublev are also set to compete.

Only time will tell if Sinner can lift the famous Eagle trophy, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

The 2026 Qatar Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 16.

Sinner’s decision to miss one of the most important events in the Italian sporting calendar, unsurprisingly hasn’t gone down too well.

This isn’t the first time he’s ‘let them down’ either, as many criticised him at the end of the 2025 season, too.

Then, Sinner chose to withdraw from Italy’s Davis Cup squad, having previously led the side to titles in 2023 and 2024.

Luckily for Sinner, the team won without him in Bologna, easing some of the pressure.

But it’s fair to say that Sinner’s relationship with the Italian fans isn’t what it once was.

Perhaps a triumphant return to the Davis Cup team later this year could bring them back on side!