Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli has asserted that it would take “the devil himself” to beat Jannik Sinner currently as he argued his compatriot “lacks nothing.”
The 90-year-old believes Sinner will likely become “the strongest Italian tennis player ever”, but declared the 22-year-old will “never be able to take away” his Davis Cup record.
Sinner, who has lost just three matches since the US Open in September, continued his blistering form with his triumph at the Miami Open last week. His victory at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament saw him climb to a career-high ranking of world No 2.
The South Tyrolean 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 in January.
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, was the second Italian to claim a Grand Slam crown with his triumph at the 1976 French Open.
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Pietrangeli, who competed from 1953 to 1973 in both amateur and professional tennis, holds formidable records for the most Davis Cup rubbers played (164) and won (120).
Pietrangeli, a winner of 44 singles titles, lauded Sinner for his achievements and character following his victory in Miami.
“Jannik has it all, a champion with a capital C, how can you not love such a nice and polite 22-year-old boy? Those who speak ill of him can only be envious,” he said as quoted by Sportal.
“Sinner is destined to become perhaps the strongest Italian tennis player ever. Italians are a people of fans, not sportsmen. When one wins it is about getting on the bandwagon and right now it is nice and big.
“I think that today to beat Jannik, you would have to have the devil himself and maybe he wouldn’t win anyway, because he has got some flaws too, while Sinner lacks nothing.
“There’s one record that Sinner will never be able to take away [from me], that of the number of Davis Cup victories. All the others, however, I am convinced that he has all the qualities to beat them.”
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