"Getting there is easy, maintaining yourself is difficult": Italian tennis legend warns Jannik Sinner of complacency after becoming world number one
ATP
Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli has warned young
Jannik Sinner about the difficulty of keeping the number one spot in the ATP
rankings.
The 22-year-old is already regarded as one of the most highly-rated players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, along
with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner is set to become the world number one in men’s tennis
when the rankings are updated at the end of the ongoing French Open. Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic withdrew from the competition just before the start of the quarterfinal at Roland Garros because
of a knee injury.
Italian tennis legend Pietrangeli, while talking to Italian sports
daily Corriere dello Sport as quoted by Tennis 365 where warned Sinner not to become complacent after getting to the very top in men’s tennis as it is easier
to reach there but harder to maintain it.
“Now that he is No 1 everyone will want to beat Sinner,” he
said. “He will feel the enormous satisfaction of having succeeded, but from now
on he will only have enemies. “Getting there is easy, maintaining yourself is
difficult: let’s hope it stays there. Jannik is obliged to win, but he has his
feet on the ground.”
Jannik Sinner is currently taking part in French Open where he has already booked his place in the semifinal.
Sinner has been having a fabulous season, winning the Australian Open, an ATP event in Rotterdam, and the Miami Open. In the ongoing French Open, the reigning world number two booked his place in the semifinal after beating Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, 6-2,
6-4, 7-6.
In the last-four clash, he will face Spain’s Alcaraz, who booked his place in the semifinal after beating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4.
This will be the ninth time both players will face off in professional tennis. In the previous eight outings, Sinner and Alcaraz won
on four occasions each.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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