The great tennis players as told by Gianni Clerici
Adriano Panatta
Born in 1950, the Roman tennis player—the second Italian after Pietrangeli to win a Grand Slam title—reached the peak of his career in 1976: within the span of a few months, he triumphed at the Internationali di Roma, at the Roland Garros in Paris, and the Davis Cup in Santiago, Chile, with the Italian national team.
For further reading:
• 25 maggio 1976: “Panatta miracolato”
Nicola Pietrangeli
Born in Tunis in 1933, Pietrangeli was the first Italian to win a Grand Slam title, claiming victory at Roland Garros in 1959, a feat he would repeat in 1960. In addition to being ranked No. 3 in the world from 1959 to 1961, he won three titles in Monte Carlo and two at the Italian Open. He contributed to Italy’s Davis Cup victory in 1976 as a non-playing captain.
For further reading:
• Montecarlo: un torneo alquanto… italiano
• ‘Er Francia’ primeggia a Parigi: Nicola Pietrangeli campione di Slam
• Wimbledon 1960: diario di un ‘giornatore’
Jannik Sinner
A native of San Candido (TN), the 2001-born player held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings continuously from June 2024 to September 2025: he won four Grand Slam titles, including two Australian Opens (2024 and 2025), one Wimbledon (2025), and one US Open (2024); With the Italian national team, he won the Davis Cup in 2023 and 2024.
For further reading:
• Il trionfo di Sinner e le “profezie” di Gianni Clerici – di Luca Aprea, Cattolica News, 29 gennaio 2024.