Jannik Sinner is the future of tennis, but according to former Italian legend Nicola Pietrangeli, he can't ever get one of his records.
Many tennis players don't actively chase records, but they end up doing it anyway because it's part of their chase for trophies. If you want to be the best, you have to work hard to win a lot of matches, and indirectly, you end up chasing records even though you might not now have cared for them all that much.
The recent Australian Open champion is one of those players who aim to be the best and will break many records by trying to do that. Former Italian player Nicola Pietrangeli is sure of that because according to him, Sinner is the perfect player in a way. There are no weaknesses in his game, and the future is bright.
"This success of Jannik Sinner goes beyond sport. Seeing this little boy win such an important tournament like the Australian Open gives you a boost of joy. Now it’s too early to say what it will be, but the future is bright for him."
One thing about records is that he won't be able to get all of them. Pietrangeli holds the Italian record for most Davis Cup matches played at 164, and most won at 120.
Those are impressive numbers, and Pietrangeli doesn't think that Sinner won't get it because he's not good enough, but more so because he can't play that many matches in his lifetime, due to the change of the format.
"Sinner is great, but he’s not Batman. At the moment he has no weaknesses, although he can always improve. He is complete, now it’s the others who want to beat him and the battle will be harder."
"To beat my record, however, it will take him two lifetimes. He will beat almost all of them, but the one of 164 matches in the Davis Cup is impossible because they have changed the regulations."