Adriano Panatta doesn’t change his mind about Jannik Sinner and unveils his new dream
He had imagined a different ending, with Jannik Sinner starring on the Philippe-Chatrier and him ready to hand him the Roland Garros trophy. Adriano Panatta, the last Italian to triumph in Paris in 1976, had confided this to the world number one after his success at the Internazionali d’Italia. “After Rome I want to reward you in Paris as well,” he had told him on the Foro Italico’s Central. Sinner’s elimination changed plans, but it did not extinguish the Roman champion’s dreams. Fifty years after his historic triumph, an Italian will still be the protagonist in the last act of the French tournament.
Yesterday in fact outlined the picture of the semifinals: Flavio Cobolli overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime and will challenge Matteo Arnaldi, winner of the Italian derby against Matteo Berrettini, who was forced to retire. A result that confirms the exceptional moment of Italian tennis and that rekindles Panatta’s enthusiasm.
“I would be very pleased and proud, but I am already really happy that there is certainly one in the finals that I will be able to admire from the stands, whoever it is… There are places that stay inside forever: for me Paris is one of them. I had the honor of receiving an invitation with beautiful words from Director Amélie Mauresmo and President Gilles Moretton, whom I thank again. It is a privilege to still feel such a strong connection with Roland Garros, which is very special to me. And by the way, I had said it even after Jannik’s elimination that there were other Italian guys with the potential to do very well. Now I’m hoping for that. Then if it was a Roman … history would repeat itself,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Even without Sinner, Italian tennis continues to be a protagonist on the world’s most prestigious courts. “Sinner is the best, I’m not changing my mind about that blackout, but behind him there is a high-level group that can go far. Let’s hope that on these prestigious courts we continue to speak our language as much as possible.”
According to the former champion, the main obstacle toward the final triumph will not be so much the opponent as the management of emotions. “The pressure. When you see the finish line, your arm always weighs a little more. The opponent has weight, that’s obvious, but on courts like this, considering that none of our people have ever come this far in Paris, the pressure matters more. I assure you of that.”
