In recent days, after Sinner's countless feats in Italy, there has been much debate about the role that the South Tyrolean tennis player plays within the great tradition of Italian sport, but above all about the position he could have once his career is over.
Many are now convinced that he is destined to become the greatest Italian athlete in history, on the same level as other tennis players for their respective countries, such as Federer for Switzerland, Nadal for Spain, Djokovic for Serbia, and perhaps even Laver for Australia.
To give some parameters, I will try to list the most famous Italian athletes;
Fausto Coppi;
The "Campionissimo", according to many in cycling, if Merckx was the strongest, Coppi was the greatest. The man of solitary escapes. 5 Giro d'Italia, 2 Tour de France, a world road championship, two world championships in pursuit, 5 Giro di Lombardia, 3 Milan-Sanremo, a Paris-Roubaix, an hour record, and many other prestigious races, having lost almost 5 years due to the Second World War.
First man capable of winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year when it was still thought impossible.
When referring to the GOAT of Italian sport, Coppi is the name that is most popular, also because of what his rivalry with Gino Bartali represented for a country like Italy that emerged destroyed in its soul from the Second World War, and that he contributed with his exploits to revitalize. Obviously, in order not to generate an endless list, in cycling where Italy boasts the best tradition together with Belgium, I limit myself to considering only Coppi, mentioning other champions of the pedal such as Gino Bartali himself, Alfredo Binda, Felice Gimondi, Francesco Moser, Marco Pantani, Vincenzo Nibali etc.
Alberto Tomba;
Not the best skier in history but probably thanks to his being a Gascon character in a context of cold mountaineers, he is the one who has reached the highest peaks of popularity in the world among the interpreters of alpine skiing. Great interpreter of technical races, 50 races won in the world cup, where he boasts an absolute world cup, 8 in specialties, to which we can add 3 Olympic gold medals and two gold medals at the world championships. Tomba la Bomba.
Valentino Rossi;
The Doctor, here too, probably the most beloved motorcyclist in history, the icon of the world championship. 9 world titles of which 7 in the premier class. His duels with the various Biagi, Stoner, Lorenzo and Marquez are famous.
Giacomo Agostini;
I would have done a disservice to mention only Rossi or vice versa to mention only Agostini. Here we are talking about the most successful motorcyclist in history, capable of winning the beauty of 15 world titles of which 8 in the premier class. The Agostini-Augusta duo was probably the most unstoppable in the history of motorsport.
Pietro Mennea;
One of the best white sprinters in history, but he was absolutely one without distinction of race. World record in the 200 meters with a time of 19.72 that lasted almost 17 years, still a European record after 45 years.
Olympic gold medal also in the 200 in Moscow 1980 after one of the most legendary races in the history of the Olympics thanks to his unprecedented comeback on the straight against the Scotsman Wells.
But also the only sprinter in history capable of competing in the same race (200 meters) 4 finals in 4 different Olympics, a sign of a longevity previously unknown to sprinters.
Tazio Nuvolari;
Legendary driver capable of excelling with both cars and motorcycles.
Federica Pellegrini;
The Divine, interpreter of the freestyle of which she was the queen for years especially in the 200-meter distance.
One of the most decorated swimmers in history, she too has managed to combine very high peaks with great longevity.
Marcell Jacobs;
First and only Italian to qualify for an Olympic final of the men's 100 meters, a race he later won, and a repeat final at the last Paris Olympics where he placed fifth. In his career he boasts two Olympic golds in the 100 meters and 4x100 relay, a gold medal at the 60-meter indoor world championships, a silver medal in the 4x100 at the outdoor world championships, 4 gold medals overall at the European championships between the outdoor and indoor ones.
Current European record holder for the 60 and 100-meter distances.
The greatest achievement in the history of Italian sport probably belongs to him (the Olympic gold in the 100 meters)
Sara Simeoni;
One of the greatest female high jumpers in history. World record obtained in 1978 where he jumped 2m01, gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Gianmarco Tamberi;
He instead is one of the greatest male high jumpers in history. He won everything he could win, so Olympic gold, world outdoor and indoor gold, European outdoor and indoor gold, plus several times the diamond that goes to the winner of the Diamond League finals. Another braggart and divisive character, also famous for his half-beard look.
Obviously I could mention many others, such as the great interpreters of cross-country skiing, Manuela Di Centa and Stefania Belmondo.
Volleyball player Lorenzo Bernardi was elected the best volleyball player in history at the end of the last century.
The four-time overall Alpine skiing world cup winner Gustav Thoeni, who comes from the same area as Sinner.
The basketball player Dino Meneghin who was probably the most successful player in the history of European basketball at club level (7 Champions Cups, forerunner of the current Euroleague) of which he was the leader of teams such as Varese and Milan.
Or Gregorio Paltrinieri one of the greatest cross-country skiers in the history of the swim.
The multiple Olympic women's foil champion Valentina Vezzali.
Volleyball player Paola Egonu.
The boxers Primo Carnera and Nino Benvenuti. The marathon runner Stefano Baldini.
And many others that I probably forget.
Then mentioning the footballers, Giuseppe Meazza, Valentino Mazzola, Gianni Rivera, Gigi Riva, Dino Zoff, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano Scirea, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, and obviously the one who is was the most loved Italian footballer in the world, Roberto Baggio, the divine pigtail.
So to close with the female tennis players, it is right to mention the slam winners Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta, both of whom were part of the great generation between the end of the 2000s and the beginning of the 2010s, also including Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani, and now obviously it is the moment of Jasmine Paolini.
In the men's field, before Sinner (and Matteo Berrettini himself), the two main standard bearers were Nicola Pietrangeli, winner of 2 Roland Garros in the pre-Open era, still the tennis player with the most matches won in the history of the Davis Cup, and then Adriano Panatta before Sinner he was the last Italian to win a grand slam tournament when in 1976 he won Roland Garros, as well as Rome and the Davis Cup.
Best ranking number 4, the only tennis player to have beaten (even twice) Borg at Roland Garros.
Great rivalries not only with Borg but also with the various Vilas and Nastase.
Much loved character in Italy at the end of the 70s.
