Jannik Sinner believes age doesn’t matter when it comes to competing at the very top in sport with Lamine Yamal and Kimi Antonelli showing if you are good enough, you are old enough.
Many believe there should be restrictions on when youngsters can turn professional in order to protect them from physical and psychological burnout once they join the brutal world of competitive sport.
In tennis, players can enter official ITF events from the age of 14, but both the ATP and WTA have restrictions on the number of events they can play every season.
During an interview with Italy’s la Repubblica, Sinner was asked about various things, including warnings that children should be protected from being sucked in before being spat out in the professional world of sport.
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“I don’t make the rules, but why take away a beautiful story from teenagers? They experienced a powerful emotion, they fought, they worked hard. There’s an age when sport gives you a voice to be heard and becomes a tool for understanding who you are and growing,” he said.
“You can’t yet be great in society; in many other sectors you’re criticised for not being the right age, but sport offers you opportunities without judging you or asking for your ID.
He then used footballer Yamal and F1 driver Antonelli as examples of youngsters flourishing when given an opportunity.
Yamal made his breakthrough for Barcelona as a 16-year-old in August 2023 and barely a month later he made his Spain debut. The teenager went on to win the 2024 European Championships and 2026 World Cup with Spain.
Antonelli made his Formula 1 debut as an 18-year-old at the start of 2025 and just over a year later, he is on the brink of becoming the youngest-ever F1 world champion at the age of 20 as he needs only a couple more points to bump Sebastian Vettel into second place as the German was 23 when he achieved the feat.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Sinner added: “Look at Lamine Yamal’s season, world champion with Spain at 19. Why be afraid that too much youth will cause problems? What if it offered new horizons and helped them showcase qualities no one has yet seen? Let the kids play.
“Kimi Antonelli made his debut without even having a license, and, by the way, I finally managed to get my motorcycle license. If someone deserves success, I see no problem, just as [footballers Lionel] Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have the right to be on the pitch, even if they’re no longer teenagers, and let’s not forget [Novak] Djokovic.”
