Jannik Sinner may not have publicly reacted to Nicola Pietrangeli's death, but the four-time Grand Slam champion still paid his condolences to the family of the Italian tennis icon by privately reaching out to the 92-year-old's family.
On Monday morning, Pietrangeli - the 1959 and 1960 French Open champion - passed away in Rome. The news was first confirmed by the Italian Tennis Federation.
"Italian tennis mourns its icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian tennis player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 92," the Italian Tennis Federation said in a statement on Monday morning.
Sinner privately expressed his condolences to the Pietrangeli family
After Pietrangeli passed away, the Rome Open - where the main stadium is named after the former world No. 3 - paid tribute through their social media accounts. The French Open did the same.
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Since Sinner is currently the biggest name in Italian tennis, the public waited to see if there would be a reaction from his side. And after the reigning Wimbledon champion, some started criticizing the world No. 2. However, according to reports, the 24-year-old made sure to express his condolences.
Pietrangeli owns the record for the most Davis Cup matches (164) played in Italian tennis history, and he was also the first captain to lead his country to the title in the competition (1976).
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After Sinner pulled out of this year's Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, the Italian tennis legend called his decision "a big slap in the face to the Italian sports world."
