Jannik Sinner may already have the two greatest feats in Italian tennis but Nicola Pietrangeli doesn't think that he still hasn't done enough to be considered the greatest ever Italian player.
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On Sunday, the 23-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final to become Italy's first-ever male player with three Grand Slams.
When Sinner became the world No. 1 for the first time in his career last June, he also became the first ATP player from his country to reach the top spot.
Also, he led his nation to back-to-back Davis Cup wins in 2023 and 2024.
On the other side, Pietrangeli - who is regarded as one of the best players in Italy's tennis history - won two Slam titles, was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world and also holds the record for the most Davis Cup wins by an Italian player - 120.
And the 91-year-old seemingly believes that he still shouldn't be erased from the debate about who is the GOAT in Italy's tennis.
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Pietrangeli: I wish Sinner the best, but...
Its right that he overtook me, records are made to be broken," the 1059 and 1960 French Open winner the Adnkronos news agency.
But the accounts are done at the end, I wish him with all my heart to do even better. I was scary on the court, but not to everyone like him.
I dont know if hes the strongest Italian tennis player ever, hes 23 years old. Well see when hes 30. Now everyones talking about Sinner, but until two years ago no one even knew who he was.
At the end of his career, well see if hes been the best Italian tennis player ever, anything can still happen."
In the past, Pietrangeli made similar remarks when asked about some of Sinner's feats.
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Knowing the 23-year-old, he won't be making any responses.
