‘To beat my record, it will take Jannik Sinner two lifetimes’, says Italian tennis legend

Jannik Sinner zoned in during his tennis match

Italian tennis great Nicola Pietrangeli believes the “future is bright” for his young compatriot Jannik Sinner and feels the 22-year-old “has no weak points at the moment.”

The two-time French Open champion claimed that Sinner will surpass “almost all” of his accomplishments, but not his record for the most Davis Cup matches.

Sinner became just the third Italian man in tennis history to win a Grand Slam singles title with his maiden major victory at the 2024 Australian Open last month. The Italian star battled past Daniil Medvedev in a five-set final after overcoming tennis legend Novak Djokovic in a four-set semi-final.

The current world No 4 is regarded as one of the brightest talents of his generation and has been tipped by many experts to win far more than a single Grand Slam title.

Pietrangeli, who won the French Open in 1959 and 1960, was the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam title and is the only Italian player to win multiple majors.

Adriano Panatta, a former world No 4 who played from 1969 to 1983, became the second Italian to claim a major crown with his triumph at the 1976 French Open.

Pietrangeli, who competed from 1953 to 1973 in both amateur and professional tennis, holds impressive records for the most Davis Cup rubbers played (164) and won (120).

Following Sinner’s Australian Open triumph, 44-time singles tournament winner Pietrangeli hailed the 22-year-old star for his victory in Melbourne.

“This success of Jannik Sinner goes beyond sport. 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,” the 90-year-old said, as quoted by Italian website Sportface.

“Sinner is great, but he’s not Batman. At the moment he has no weaknesses, although he can always improve. He is complete, now it’s the others who want to beat him and the battle will be harder.

“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.”

The Italian also declared that his nation is leading the world in tennis: “At the moment Italian tennis is number one in the world. We won the Davis Cup, Sinner starts the year by winning his first Grand Slam, what more do we want?

“The girls have done extraordinary things for years, now we have to give credit to [Angelo] Binaghi who did a great job because for 20 years the tennis federation was a disaster. A good part of this tennis is due to this president.”