Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts during the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
FILE - In this photo taken on May 28, 2014, Italian rapper Fedez perform during the Italian State RAI TV program “The Voice of Italy”, in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, file)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, sits between sets during the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Italian rapper Fedez apologizes for lyrics targeting Jannik Sinner after being accused of racism
MILAN (AP) 鈥 Italian rapper Fedez has apologized for publishing musical lyrics saying that tennis player Jannik Sinner speaks with 鈥淎dolf Hitler鈥檚 accent,鈥 which prompted the musician to be accused of inciting racial hatred.
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts during the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
MILAN (AP) 鈥 Italian rapper Fedez has apologized for publishing musical lyrics saying that tennis player Jannik Sinner speaks with 鈥淎dolf Hitler鈥檚 accent,鈥 which prompted the musician to be accused of inciting racial hatred.
Fedez recently posted an Instagram story featuring lyrics of a new song that said in Italian: 鈥淚talian has a new idol named Jannik Sinner. Pure-blooded Italian with Adolf Hitler鈥檚 accent.鈥
A city council member in Bolzano 鈥 the capital of the German-speaking autonomous province of Alto Adige in northern Italy where Sinner is from 鈥 on Thursday filed a formal complaint with prosecutors over Fedez鈥檚 lyrics based on an article in Italy鈥檚 penal code that sanctions incitement of racial hatred and propaganda.
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鈥淚 wanted to take a paradox and it came off terribly, about athletes who are born and raised in Italy but often are not considered Italian due to the color of their skin and apply it to Italy鈥檚 top athlete,鈥 Fedez said during a concert in Milan on Friday, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 able to pull it off and all I can do is apologize,鈥 Fedez added. 鈥淚f something like this isn鈥檛 understood, it鈥檚 because of a mistake made by whoever wrote it. So I take responsibility.鈥
The reference to 鈥減ure-blooded Italian鈥 recalls Italian fascist propaganda from the 1930s, according to Giuseppe Martucci, the city council member, who added that the reference to Hitler was unacceptable.
鈥淚 felt it my duty to act and hold up the founding values of our constitution,鈥 Martucci said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 allow language the evokes racism and hate to be normalized by public figures.鈥
By winning four Grand Slam titles over the last two years, Sinner has exceeded Italy鈥檚 soccer stars to become the country鈥檚 most popular athlete. this month and lost the No. 1 ranking to his Spanish rival.
This is not the first time that Sinner has faced an underlying sentiment that he isn鈥檛 fully Italian.
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Before he won his first Grand Slam title and opted not to play Davis Cup for Italy in September 2023 鈥 saying he hadn鈥檛 recovered in time from tournaments in North America 鈥 he was widely criticized.
鈥淐aso Nazionale鈥 (National Issue), said the front-page of Sportweek, the Gazzetta dello Sport鈥檚 weekly magazine, in a headline with a double meaning.
Then when Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, on his return home and met with Premier Giorgia Meloni at the Chigi Palace.
Sinner and Meloni posed for photos as they held aloft together first the Australian Open trophy and then the Italian flag. Sinner then gave Meloni a warm embrace to end the meeting.
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