On November 8, 2019, Gianni Clerici titled an article in *La Repubblica*: “The Chosen One, Sinner: Never Have We Seen an Italian This Strong.” Jannik, who had just turned 18, had just defeated Frances Tiafoe and Mikael Ymer at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Gianni was spot on, all right! “We’ve never seen a more talented Italian tennis player, and I can say that myself, having met a 16-year-old Nicola Pietrangeli on a court in old Parioli.”

Fast forward to July 13, 2025, and that young boy has just lifted the legendary Wimbledon trophy, defeating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 3-1 in a breathtaking final. Once the dust had settled, while Jannik was basking in the adulation of the crowd and greeting friends and family, the emotional voices of Paolo Bertolucci and Elena Pero in the Sky Sport commentary booth shared with listeners a heartfelt tribute to Gianni Clerici and more:

We would have loved for people like Mario Belardinelli—and our friends Rino Tommasi, Gianni Clerici, Lea Pericoli, and Roberto Lombardi, who have witnessed and loved this sport—to have had the chance to see a scene like this. And this young man gave us that chance.