"It will take him two lifetimes": Nicola Pietrangeli says one record in particular out of reach for Jannik Sinner after Australian Open win

Italy’s first Grand Slam winner Nicola Pietrangeli believes that young tennis star Jannik Sinner will need two lifetimes to break his Davis Cup record.

The 22-year-old is often regarded as the most highly-rated young tennis player currently playing in the circuit alongside Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner lived up to the hype recently as he lifted his maiden Grand Slam title after beating the current world number three Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open in a five-set thriller with a score of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Pietrangeli, who became the first Italian ever to lift a major title when he won the French Open in 1959, was recently quoted in a report where he heaped praise on the current world number four and backed him for a bright future but at the same time stated that he would need two lifetimes to break his 164 Davis Cup matches record.

"This success of Jannik Sinner goes beyond sport,” said the 90-year-old. “Seeing this little boy win such an important tournament like the Australian Open gives you a boost of joy. Now it's too early to say what it will be, but the future is bright for him.

"Sinner has no weak points at the moment, even if he can always improve. ... To beat my record, however, it will take him two lifetimes. He will beat almost all of them, but the one of 164 matches in the Davis Cup is impossible because they have changed the regulations."