Jannik Sinner left off 'nicest players on tour' lists as tennis rivals show true feelings

Jannik Sinner was omitted from lists consisting of the nicest tennis players on the ATP Tour that were made by four of his on-court rivals. In what was a fun activity posed to some of the players competing in Canada at the National Bank Open this week by Overtime Tennis, the four-time Grand Slam champion was notable absentee.

Sinner - who withdrew from the Masters 1000 event in order to recover following his Wimbledon triumph - is one of several high-profile stars who pulled out of the tournament, including Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Despite his absence, it was the Spaniard who was the most popular name on the lists that were assembled by Francisco Cerundolo, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti.

Casper Ruud, like Alcaraz is known for his kind demeanour, was also a popular choice. Cerundolo chose Ruud, Alcaraz, his brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Jakub Mensik and Mariano Navone. Medvedev also went with the double pairing of Ruud, Alcaraz, and added the likes of Joao Fonseca, Andrey Rublev and Miomir Kecmanovic.

Rune also opted for Alcaraz and Cerundolo but made sure to pay tribute to Gael Monfils and Ben Shelton, describing the latter as a "good lad". His other choice potentially could cause controversy as he named Nick Kyrgios on his list, saying the Aussie - who is notorious for his fiery personality - is nice "with me personally".

Despite Musetti going in a patriotic direction with his list consisting of four Italian players, Sinner still missed the cut. The 23-year-old instead chose Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Berrettini and Simone Bolelli.

Sinner's absence is certainly not a reflection of his character as the tennis dynamo has received glowing praise from none other than his greatest rival in Alcaraz. Commenting on the pair's friendship off the court, the Spaniard told Gazzetta: "Tennis is a unique sport that allows you to be great rivals on the court and, at the same time, maintain mutual respect.

"Sinner and I are good friends; we can talk about many things off the court. I have great respect for him; he's a great person; I'm sure we'll always be able to maintain this relationship." He also added: "We talk a little bit besides tennis, about life. But not too much. It means we have a good relationship but we are not close friends. I think the respect we have puts us in a position that we have a really good relationship."