Is Jannik Sinner the greatest Italian tennis player ever? Pietrangeli isn't entirely convinced yet

Nicola Pietrangeli joined the debate on whether Jannik Sinner is the greatest Italian tennis player of all time. The current world No. 1 has plenty of arguments in his favour, considering he's the only Italian to have reached the top of the rankings.

However, some of his compatriots also deserve to be in the discussion. Pietrangeli himself and Adriano Panatta were Grand Slam champions with notable careers, as well as several Italian women who have won major titles.

Pietrangeli says it’s too soon to decide Sinner’s place in history

In a recent interview with andKronos, Pietrangeli spoke about the remarkable records Sinner has already broken, being the only Italian with three Grand Slam titles. "It's only fair that he surpassed me; records are meant to be broken. But the real verdict comes at the end. I sincerely hope he does even better. I was feared on the court, but not everyone liked me."

"I don’t know if he's the strongest Italian tennis player of all time—he's only 23. We’ll see when he turns 30. Right now, everyone is talking about Sinner, but two years ago, nobody knew who he was.”

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Adriano Panatta was the 1976 Roland Garros champion—defeating the nearly invincible Bjorn Borg on clay. He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 and led Italy to victory in the 1976 Davis Cup, winning the final away against Chile, along with three Masters 1000 titles.

Pietrangeli, on the other hand, won two Grand Slam titles, securing back-to-back Roland Garros titles in 1959 and 1960, in addition to reaching two more French Open finals (1961) and the US Open final (1959). He achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3 during the amateur era and still holds the Davis Cup record for most wins (120), remembered as one of the best clay-court players of his time.

However, Sinner’s achievements already seem to overshadow his compatriots'. Three Grand Slam titles, the only Italian to reach world No. 1, two Davis Cup titles, four Masters 1000 titles, and an ATP Finals victory. And all this at just 23 years old, while maintaining an impressive level that makes him a favourite in almost every tournament he enters. “At the end of his career, we’ll determine if he was the best Italian tennis player ever—anything can still happen," said Pietrangelli.

If we include women in the debate over Italy’s greatest tennis player, several standout names emerge, including two Grand Slam singles champions: Francesca Schiavone (2010 French Open champion and 2011 finalist) and Flavia Pennetta (2015 US Open champion).

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci also deserve recognition as legendary doubles players. Together, they won five Grand Slam doubles titles between 2012 and 2014, completing the Career Grand Slam, along with three additional finals in the same period. Errani also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games alongside Jasmine Paolini.

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After his recent Australian Open triumph, Pietrangeli commented on how dominant Sinner was in the final against Alexander Zverev."It was a walk in the park for Sinner. He just strolls around the court now. I said last year that this season Sinner would have to give his opponents a head start. Nobody is on his level, and it's not their fault.

“He’s just too strong. I even wrote that the final would end in three sets—6-3, 7-6, 6-3—and that’s exactly how it played out. I expected it. Because he’s too strong. I think the only way he loses a match is if he sleeps badly or feels unwell."

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