Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli expressed his admiration for the recent Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner.
“Has Sinner surpassed me? Yes, and it’s not over. He can win a Grand Slam, he can aim for Paris. But if he continues to play like he is now, there’s no one to blame. Today, he is undoubtedly the strongest Italian athlete of all time, and I’m not even a supporter of his, on the contrary.” These are Pietrangeli’s words, as he appeared on the Un Giorno da Pecora program on Rai Radio1.
During the interview, Pietrangeli was asked about his previous criticism of the South Tyrolean player for his supposed “boring game.” Does he stand by this opinion? “Absolutely not, I only said that today’s tennis is boring,” he clarified, adding that it was simply his personal point of view.
The hosts, Giorgio Lauro and Geppi Cucciari, then asked: who is stronger, you or Sinner? Pietrangeli responded: “It’s impossible to make comparisons. Let’s say each one was the strongest… in their time.”
Who could beat Sinner today? “Given the way he’s playing right now, maybe no one”, Pietrangeli joked during the interview on Radio 1.