Sorry if stupid question, but is the gentle slap on the face a common way to greet among male friends in Italy? I only know through football and tennis and every time Matteo plays against an Italian, he greets them like this at the handshake.

by trying1more

13 comments

  1. No it’s a message that means: I’ll kill you (or almost I will try) later when no one sees us.

  2. It’s more of a respect gesture from an older player to a younger player. Something like “now that you’re grown up you can stand this slap”

  3. No that is the dick grabbing, here the guy is simply slapping the victim because he has a prettier beard.

  4. Commonly If you do not have a very high level of confidence with the person you slap, it could be used to disrespect him by comparing him to a child:
    This gesture is commonly used with chidrens, to compliment them in case theyy are acting good or when they have done something special.

    In some regions of southern italy like Apulia, this gesture could be used to act as a friend.

    It is a gesture that claims fatherhood. It could be used also when a more experienced person greets a young one. Like in this case.
    It is a gesture of protection: “finally you arrived here”

  6. I would say it’s quite common in Italy, in my mind it’s usually from someone who is higher in whatever hierarchy, or an old guy to a young one. Here however I found it a bit disrespectful from Berrettini, even though he is older than Sinner but he’s also lower in the rankings. I think it was something like “ok kid you the best one” in this case, but perhaps was a bit too much.

  7. It’s a patronizing thing. It can be done with an endearing intention, but it’s usually done by someone who’s older, or more experienced, to a younger person.

  8. It’s a greeting an older person would do with a younger one.
    It’d not look as smooth if the younger counterpart were to do that.

  9. No it’s not.. It’s something you would expect to get from your father with a condescending tone during a life lesson, or from a very old relative… Or from someone who’s trying to dismiss whatever you’re saying, because they know better..

  10. Because there are cameras, otherwise you usually grab them from the nuts

    /s

  12. You do this with children lol, men in Italy greet each other on a spectrum from “manly mid air arm wrestle” to “full blown bro hug”

  13. Berrettini is one of those typical guys who are too full of himself and generally quite unbearable, so for everything he does you have to think as a consequence of this and not as something normal

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