Nicola Pietrangeli criticises contemporary tennis, takes a dig at Matteo Berrettini
Nicola Pietrangeli, a tennis icon from Italy, has railed about the status of contemporary tennis and the stars of his country.
Matteo Berrettini, the former Italian No. 1, received harsh criticism from Pietrangeli for making tabloid headlines and for not playing well on the court.
In Italy and beyond, a recent interview with a renowned Italian sports journal has drawn a lot of interest.
He advised Berrettini to take note of the career lessons from Filippo Volandri, who fell short of expectations following a significant victory over Roger Federer.
Pietrangeli reges against modern tennis
Pietrangeli lamented how modern tennis, which in his opinion is now dominated by super-athletes, lacks elegance.
After being eliminated from the Australian Open, Berrettini was seen by tabloid reporters with Melissa Satta, prompting him to react.
“It seems to me that Matteo is devoting himself more to advertising than to tennis. I wouldn’t like him to end up like Volandri, who after beating Federer in Rome, didn’t do anything again. He’s a good guy, he reminds me a bit of Pannatta. Very handsome from the waist up, but his legs don’t move as they should,” the former Roland Garros winner said while talking to the Sport Gazzetta.
Even though he acknowledges that he doesn’t like the 6’2″ son of San Candido’s sense of fashion, he believes that Jannik Sinner is the best of the Italian group.
Pietrangeli admitted that he prefers the tennis of Lorenzo Musetti over that of the other Italian players.
He believes that the emphasis on athletic strength and force has turned tennis into a nasty and brutal sport.
“The world has changed and tennis too, and it has done it for the worse. It’s an uglier sport. Before, if you were talented, you had to work physically; now if you’re not a great athlete, you can’t even consider getting on a court” he said before talking about Jannik Sinner.
“He is the best Italian at the moment, although he has a very different style from mine. Above all, he has a great advantage, and that is that he seems much more German than Italian. The one I like the most is Lorenzo Musetti, his tennis is the most beautiful.”
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