Jannik Sinner dragged into Adolf Hitler controversy as huge star forced to apologise

Italian rapper Fedez has issued an apology for his lyrics comparing tennis star Jannik Sinner to Adolf Hitler. More specifically, the Milanese musician referred to the four-time Grand Slam champion as a "purebred Italian with the accent of Hitler."

Sinner, 24, was born to German-speaking parents Johann and Siglinde and grew up in the South Tyrol region in northern Italy. A large majority of the province's inhabitants speak German as their mother tongue given its close proximity to the Austrian border. Fedez, real name Federico Lucia, drew criticism from fans when he shared several lines from his personal notebook, which he planned to perform during a pair of concerts at Milan's Assago Forum. And it was the lyric bashing arguably Italy's best athlete at present that sparked backlash from many witnesses.

The excerpt in question, shared with his 13.4million Instagram followers, read: "Every time I write about this, I feel like telling Essemagazine to go f*** itself. So before I start something important... F*** EsseMagazine. Yesterday, a feminist who fights revenge porn sent me a video of De Martino on her iPhone. The postal police won't give a damn, here you'll be arrested just for a w**k.

"They made a 15-year-old a saint, his miracle being playing PlayStation without swearing (referring to Carlo Acutis). They shot an American anti-abortionist (a nod to the recent murder of political commentator Charlie Kirk). Oh, relax, guys, the Pope is still in the Vatican! Did you hear what [Italian politician] Elly Schlein said? 'I condemn Israel, but I have lots of Jewish friends.' Italians have a new idol, his name is Jannik Sinner. A purebred Italian with the accent of Adolf Hitler."

Some critics labelled the lyric "disgusting" and "senseless," questioning what Sinner had done to deserve the discreditation. Fedez was asked about his choice of wordage after sharing the sneak peek but refused to back down.

"It's not a criticism of Sinner, it's more of a criticism of Italian fanaticism," he said suring a recent appearance on Radio24's La Zanzara show. "I didn't compare Sinner to Hitler. It's called irony. And, by the way, I don't know him and I'm not interested in knowing him."

Taking things one step further, Fedez also sarcastically congratulated the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion for paying his taxes in Monte Carlo, or rather not doing so as Monaco does not collect personal income tax. However, the 35-year-old chose not to perform the rap at the Assago Forum and took his moment to apologise.

Addressing his fans this weekend, he said: "I 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's top athlete.

"I wasn't able to pull it off and all I can do is apologise. If something like this isn't understood, it's because of a mistake made by whoever wrote it. So I take responsibility."

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Sinner has not commented publicly on Fedez's attack despite cycling down his tennis commitments at the end of the season. Instead, he was busy in Milan celebrating the launch of his own non-profit foundation.

While Fedez's attack spread a message of negativity, Sinner was focused on promoting good in the world and said at the launch event: "I've been lucky to pursue my passion through tennis, but I know millions of children never get the chance to follow their dreams because they don't have access to school. Standing here tonight, I see the project is finally alive, and we are ready to help children realise their dreams."