Panatta confesses the only record he will not be able to break Sinner: "The 14 Roland Garros of Nadal"

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Adriano Panatta is no longer the last Italian to conquer ATP Rome. 50 years after his success, Jannik Sinner succeeded him, but the world number one can snatch another juicier milestone from him: that of being the last Italian to win Roland Garros. Panatta also achieved it 50 years ago, and San Candido's own has all the makings of following in his footsteps this year in Paris.

Far from lamenting, Panatta is excited about the emergence of a Jannik Sinner whom he considers invincible alongside Carlos Alcaraz. The former Italian tennis player confirmed this in an interview with L'Equipe, making it very clear the one tennis record the world number one will never be able to surpass.

Rafa Nadal's 14 Roland Garros Titles, an Impossible Feat for Jannik Sinner

"I think the only record that will be very difficult, perhaps even impossible, for him is to win Roland Garros 14 times like Nadal. I have only won it once, and I know how difficult it is. So winning it 14 times like Nadal is superhuman," Panatta asserts.

However, he is ‘in love’ with his compatriot for everything else: "He is the prototype of the current generation, a great champion, unique in his class. Above all, his behavior on the court is exemplary for young players; when he speaks to the press, when he chats after the matches, he is calm, polite, a true champion."

50 years after Adriano Panatta, Jannik Sinner writes an Italian name in the Rome tournament's history.
➡️ https://t.co/dlZ9FKv6Cp pic.twitter.com/FRMbzsKj97

— L'Équipe (@lequipe) May 17, 2026

In fact, he believes that only Alcaraz can challenge him: "Almost everyone plays like that, hitting hard, perhaps Alcaraz has a slightly different style. Sinner's performance is so high in every match that playing against him is difficult. I was lucky that there was no Sinner in my time; everything is different now."

"Alcaraz sometimes has bad days, while Sinner rarely does"

He also revealed the differences for him between the Spaniard and the Italian: "All players have weaknesses, but he doesn't have many. When he steps on the court, he imposes his game; only Alcaraz can challenge him, the rest are far from their best level. But Alcaraz sometimes has bad days, while Sinner rarely does."

The 1976 Roland Garros champion makes it clear that tennis in his time was very different from today: "There are still emotions, but it's different. As the ball moves faster, there is less time to think, solutions are harder to find, you have to play, hit hard; it's a completely different type of tennis. When we played tennis, it was more thoughtful, more tactical, and the ball, above all, was much slower. However, I admire today's players a lot, Sinner, Alcaraz, but my concept of tennis is different. It's normal, everything changes. If we look at football from 50 years ago, the game's pace, compared to that of today's Paris Saint-Germain, is totally different," concludes a happy Adriano Panatta to see his 50-year-old record being close to being surpassed by a real extraterrestrial like Jannik Sinner.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Panatta confiesa el único récord que no podrá batir Sinner: "Los 14 Roland Garros de Nadal"