Immediately after the disappointment at the US Open, to honor what Sinner did for Italy, the legendary Italian tennis player Adriano Panatta gave Jannik Sinner a vintage tennis racket signed by himself, together with an touching message: “You are an extraordinary tennis player and you have the ability to become one of the legends of this generation, then continues to fight.” A humble but powerful gesture, capable of inspiring an entire new generation of tennis players. Sinner replied to this gift with 5 words that moved and touched Panatta … !!!!
Immediately after the end of the US Open 2025, when the emotions were still alive and the sports injuries that are not entirely healed, a gesture arrived that touched the heart not only of Jannik Sinner, but of all Italian tennis fans. Adriano Panatta, timeless icon of the blue tennis and the only Italian to win Roland Garros before the Sinner era, decided to honor the young champion with a gift as symbolic as it is powerful: a vintage tennis racket, autographed by himself.
Panatta’s message
The gift was not only a memorabilia, but brought with it a handwritten message, full of meaning and humanity.
“You have a fire of passion. Don’t let the noise turn it out.”
With these words, Panatta wanted to convey a sincere encouragement to the young South Tyrolean. At a time when Sinner had shown fragility and emotion after the final lost in New York, that message arrived as a paternal embrace, a bridge between two generations of Italian champions.
A humble but powerful gesture
The donated racket was not any object, but one of the travel companions that Panatta had used in the seventies, a golden age of his tennis. A piece of history, delivered in the hands of those who today represent the present and the future of blue tennis.
The gesture was described by many as “humble but very powerful”: not an official recognition, not a medal, but the passage of a symbol. Panatta, who knows the weight of glory and pressure well, wanted to remember to Sinner that the true strength of a champion is not only in the trophies, but in the ability to resist and get up.
Sinner’s answer
If the gift and the message moved the fans, Sinner’s response has completed an exciting picture. With a few words – ten, exact – Jannik made Panatta proud and made the heart of the following vibrate:
“Your example illuminates the journey I am walking.”
Panatta, present at the time of delivery, did not hide its emotion. Witnesses say that the legendary champion bent over, hit by the maturity and humility of the young heir.
Tennis world reactions
The news spread rapidly, finding ample space on social media and in the international media. The fans celebrated the gesture as a symbolic handover, while journalists and commentators underlined the human value of an episode that goes beyond sport.
“This is not just a tennis story,” said a French chronicler. “It is the story of how an entire country finds pride and hope in its champions.”
Conclusion
The gesture of Adriano Panatta and the response of Jannik Sinner will remain as one of the most significant moments of 2025 sportsmen. An act that combines past and present, legend and future, showing that greatness is not measured only in victories, but also in the ability to inspire.
For Sinner, who is preparing for new challenges, that gift will be much more than a memory: it will be an emotional compass, a flame that, as Panatta wrote, no noise can turn off.
