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Nicola Pietrangeli praised compatriot Jannik Sinner but claimed one of his records would be out of reach for the newly crowned Australian Open champion.
Sinner made his breakthrough at the first Grand Slam of the year last week, coming back from two sets down to beat 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. Earlier, the 22-year-old, the first Italian to win at Melbourne Park, beat ten-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Widely regarded as a generational talent and one of the best young players in the game, Sinner is a perfect 7-0 in 2024 after his triumph in Melbourne. The victory made him the second Italian in the Open Era (third overall) to win a Grand Slam singles title, the others being Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta.
Praising Sinner for his recent exploits and for raising the profile of Italian tennis, the country’s first Grand Slam champion, Pietrangeli, said (according to MSN):
“This success for Jannik Sinner goes beyond sport. Seeing this little guy win a tournament as important as the Australian Open gives you an injection of joy. Now it’s too early to say what it will be, but the future is bright for him” .
Pietrangeli predicted more success for the youngster, but added that his Davis Cup record of 164 matches would be out of reach for Sinner:
“Sinner has no weak points at the moment, although he can always improve… However, to surpass my record it will take him two lifetimes. He will surpass almost all of them, except the one of 164 matches in the Davis Cup is impossible because they have changed the regulation”.
Sinner, with a 9-1 record, led Italy to its first Davis Cup title in nearly five decades last year, going undefeated in three singles matches.
A look at the notable milestones Jannik Sinner reached with victory at the Australian Open
The Italian had an almost perfect fortnight at Melbourne Park, reaching the semi-finals without losing a set.
After beating Djokovic in four sets to reach his first Major final, Sinner found himself down two sets against Medvedev. However, he won the next three sets, his first comeback from two sets down.
That made him the second Australian Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era to do so in the final. The first? Rafael Nadal in 2022, with Medvedev as catcher.
Jannik Sinner is the third-youngest player to win the men’s singles title at Melbourne Park, ahead of only Djokovic (2008) and Jim Courier (1992). He is also the first player in 12 years (Djokovic, 2012 Australian Open) to consecutively beat three top-five players to win a Major.