Who Was the Last Italian Male Tennis Player Before Jannik Sinner to Win a Grand Slam?

The final of the Australian Open 2024 was the one that was full of ups and downs. Starting the match on fire, Daniil Medvedev went on to win the first two sets but stumbled in the remaining two. Taking advantage of this, the Italian Jannik Sinner decided to take on the charge and made the match progress into a 5-set thriller.

After making a complete turnaround he managed to win the match and laid his hands on his first-ever career grand slam. That being said, Sinner’s win at the Open marked an end to a long wait of 47 years. It was almost half a century ago when an Italian player clinched his name in the Grand Slam title. But who was he? Let’s find out!

Who was the last Italian player to have laid his hands on the Grand Slam title other than Jannik Sinner?

As it stands, the last Italian player to have won the Grand Slam was Adriano Panatta. Coming into the French Open back in 1976, the Italian sensation proved to be too strong for his opponents and laid his hands on the prestigious title at Roland Garros. Since then, none of the Italian players who have climbed to the top have been able to lay their hands on the singles title. Throughout his career as a professional tennis player, Panatta managed to reach a career-high ranking of 4 which Sinner currently holds.

Thus, Jannik Sinner not only clinched the title but also ended the 47-year drought that surrounded men’s tennis for years. Not did he only win the title but he also became the first Italian player to have won the Australian Open title.

While the men’s singles category faced a long drought of 47 long years, what is the case when it comes to the women’s divisions and other divisions across Italian tennis?

Other Italians have laid their hands on grand slams

While the singles category in the ATP is far away from a grand slam title, it seems like the WTA has something to showcase about. When it comes to the women’s side, Francesca Schiavone  (2010 French Open) and  Flavia Pennetta  (2015 US Open ) managed to win the title at the respective tournaments.

Also read: ‘I Have Red Hair..’ – Despite Raging Fame, Jannik Sinner Makes Stance Clear With a Cheeky Take On His Popularity Among Fans

When talking about the men’s doubles category, it was the deadly duo of Fabio Fognini and fellow compatriot Simone Bolelli who managed to clinch the Australian Open men’s doubles title back in 2o15. It was only the men’s singles category that faced a title drought for so long. Cometh Jannik Sinner and everything changed.

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