Jannik Sinner: Paul Beltramo has no doubt about the comparison with Valentino Rossi

After the Wimbledon triumph, there are those who have already started talking about Jannik Sinner as the strongest Italian sportsman ever. Sportal.it asked Paolo Beltramo, a historian of the MotoGp world and beyond, for his opinion on the matter.
“Sinner is very strong, but he is only 23 years old. To become like Giacomo Agostini or Valentino Rossi will have to wait a little longer. In the meantime, hats off even for what he has already done. If anyone thought he was in trouble with Alcaraz, he was wrong”.
“He can become one of the iconic sportsmen of our country, as Pietro Mennea, Sara Simeoni and Federica Pellegrini were. He is young but I don’t think there is any doubt about his value: he is already a benchmark” added Beltramo.
To reach these myths you just need continuity: “It is one thing to dominate one or two years, another to dominate a generation like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer did. Let him take it easy. Let him be hungry: the’appetite comes with eating, and the taste of victory gives the desire to continue”.
There’s a difference with Alcaraz, the great rival: “Carlos may have more madness, more flair, but Sinner hammers like no other. To stay six hours on the court and win, you have to be like him”.
He concludes with a Formula 1-related comparison: “Sinner can become a Lewis Hamilton of tennis. If Oscar Piastri becomes a world champion, he too will enter a new dimension but to be accosted by the greatest he will then have to win more titles. Wimbledon is the best, sure, but there is still so much for Sinner to win”.