Nicola Pietrangeli admires compatriot Jannik Sinner but believes one of his records will be out of reach for the recently crowned Australian Open champion.
Sinner made his major breakthrough in the first Grand Slam of the year last week, rallying from two sets down to defeat 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. Earlier, the 22-year-old, the first Italian man to win at Melbourne Park, eliminated 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
A generational talent and widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game, Sinner has a perfect 7-0 record in 2024 after his win in Melbourne. ing. With this victory, he became the second Italian player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title, after Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta, and the third overall.
Praising Sinner for his recent achievements and raising the profile of Italian tennis, the country’s first Grand Slam champion said (via MSN):
“This success of Jannik Sinner goes beyond sports. It’s a double joy to see this kid win such an important tournament as the Australian Open. Now let’s say how it goes. It’s too early to tell, but his future is bright.”
Pietrangeli predicted further success for the youngster, but added that his record of 164 Davis Cup appearances would be out of Sinner’s reach.
“Sinner has no weaknesses at the moment, even if he can improve at any time. . . . But it would take him two lifetimes to break my record. He would break almost every record. But that record is only one game out of 164.” Davis Cup is not possible because the regulations have changed. ”
Last year, Sinner led Italy to its first Davis Cup championship in nearly 50 years, going undefeated in three singles matches with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss.
Jannik Sinner’s notable milestones after winning the Australian Open
The Italian had a near-perfect two weeks at Melbourne Park, reaching the semi-finals without dropping a set.
After defeating Djokovic in four sets to reach his first major final, Sinner found himself losing two sets against Medvedev. Despite this, he won the next three sets and made his first comeback from two sets down.
This made him the second Australian Open men’s singles champion in the Australian Open era to win in the final. first? Rafael Nadal in 2022, Medvedev on the receiving side.
Jannik Sinner is the third-youngest player to win the men’s singles title at Melbourne Park, with only Djokovic (2008) and Jim Courier (1992) ahead of him. He is also the first player in 12 years (Djokovic, 2012 Australian Open) to win a major by defeating three top-five players in a row.