Nicola Pietrangeli, advice from big guy to Jannik Sinner
Nicola Pietrangeli, advice from big guy to Jannik Sinner
Nicola Pietrangeli at the microphones of Corriere della Sera applauded Jannik Sinner for the semifinal he reached at Wimbledon: “He has nothing to blame himself for. He played very well, almost on par with the best. People in Italy see him among the top ten and pretend that Jannik is an already formed player but he is 21 years old, let him grow up in peace. Until a few years ago our boys were taking slaps from everyone and the movement was clinging to the extraordinary women, let’s not forget that.”
“What I can say with certainty is that Sinner always came to play,” Pietrangeli continued, “the difference against him was only a few points. It counts for nothing that he lost 0-3, challenges should be analyzed without fossilizing on the final result.”
On his growth and lack of a prestigious victory: “Only he can know what was in his head, and in all frankness I think we all need to stop meddling in things that don’t concern us. I think a handsome, nice 21-year-old who plays good tennis and gets to the semifinals at Wimbledon should be happy. It is true: he lost, but it is 2023. Sinner will have at least other opportunities ahead of him to play this tournament, and maybe one will win it.”
“The Italian is not a sportsman but a fan, unfortunately he learned from soccer. Instead, I always explain to kids that you have to learn to lose because then it will be even sweeter to win. It applies to sports as it does to life,” is Pietrangeli’s advice.
“In January I said that Sinner would finish 2023 in the top ten in the world and 2024 in the top five. Maybe I may even have been too cautious because Sinner has a chance to get ahead of the prediction by a year, he is on the right track. Besides Djokovic and Alcaraz, maybe only Medvedev is slightly ahead of him.”
The steps forward are remarkable: “He serves clearly better than before, he is as insidious on the forehand as on the backhand. Today he is already a fine player. There is one aspect that I think is crucial: he does not give the impression that he has weaknesses. This is no small thing.”
