| Country (sports) |  Italy | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1950-07-09)9 July 1950 (age 75) Rome, Italy | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1969 (amateur from 1968) | |||||||||||
| Retired | 1983 | |||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | |||||||||||
| Prize money | $776,187 | |||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||
| Career record | 408–245 (62.5%)[1] | |||||||||||
| Career titles | 10 | |||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (24 August 1976) | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 1R (1969) | |||||||||||
| French Open | W (1976) | |||||||||||
| Wimbledon | QF (1979) | |||||||||||
| US Open | 4R (1978) | |||||||||||
| Other tournaments | ||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | RR (1975) | |||||||||||
| WCT Finals | QF (1977) | |||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||
| Career record | 233–152 (60.5%) | |||||||||||
| Career titles | 18 | |||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 15 (24 March 1980) | |||||||||||
| Team competitions | ||||||||||||
| Davis Cup | W (1976) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is a retired Italian professionaltennis player. He won theFrench Open in1976, becoming the first Italian man in theOpen Era to win amajor singles title.[2] Panatta was also the only player ever to defeatBjörn Borg at Roland Garros,[3] doing so twice.
From 2018 to 2021, he was a regular guest of theRAI sport broadcastQuelli che... il Calcio.[4]
Panatta was born inRome.[5] His father was the caretaker of theTennis Club Parioli, and as a youngster he learned to play the game on the club's clay courts. He became a successful European junior player before turning professional.
In his early career, Panatta won top-level professional titles atBournemouth in 1973,Florence in 1974,Kitzbühel andStockholm in 1975.
The pinnacle of his career arrived in 1976 at the French Open. In the first round he saved a match point against Czechoslovakian playerPavel Hutka. In the final he beatHarold Solomon in four sets. Panatta relied on "his strong serve and his soccer goalkeeper's reflexes at the net" (he served 10 aces).[6] In the same year he also won theItalian Open, having saved 11 match points in his first round match against the AustralianKim Warwick, and beatingGuillermo Vilas in the final in four sets. He finished off 1976 by helping Italy capture its first-everDavis Cup title, winning two singles and a doubles rubber in the final againstChile. He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 that year.[7][8] Panatta remained the highest-ranking Italian tennis player in history until February 2024, whenJannik Sinner became No. 3;[9] Sinner went on to rank No. 1.[10]
Panatta is the only player to have defeatedBjörn Borg at the French Open. He achieved this feat twice – in the fourth round in 1973 in four sets, and in the quarterfinals in1976 in four sets, where he would go on to win the tournament. He also faced Borg at the semifinal stage of the 1975 tournament; Borg won on this occasion in four sets.[11]
In 1977, Panatta won theWorld Championship Tennis in Houston, where he defeatedJimmy Connors andVitas Gerulaitis. He followed this up with another title in Tokyo in 1978.
Panatta was less successful on fast surfaces, especially on grass. His best performance atWimbledon was in1979, when he was beaten in the quarter-finals byPat DuPré in five sets. In an interview many years later, Panatta remarked that it was the only match in his career he "regretted losing", and that he threw it away by playing a "bit cocky" and repeatedly losing concentration.[12]
After the 1976 Davis Cup triumph, Panatta helpedItaly reach the Davis Cup final on three further occasions – in 1977, 1979 and 1980. The team lost to Australia in 1977, the United States in 1979, and to Czechoslovakia in 1980. Overall, Panatta compiled a 64–36 Davis Cup record (55–17 on clay).[13]
His final career singles title came in 1980 at Florence. He retired from the professional tour in 1983.
After his retirement, Panatta has served as captain ofItaly's Davis Cup team,[14] and as tournament director of theRome Masters.
Panatta also competed inoffshore powerboat racing, most specifically inClass 1 World Powerboat Championship.[15] His most successful season was in 1990, where he and his co-driver Antonio Gioffredi would have been world champion had the title not been revoked after the tragic accident that claimed the life of reigning championStefano Casiraghi, husband ofCaroline, Princess of Hanover.[16]
From 1992 until 2002, Panatta also competed as arally driver.[17] In 1992 he took part to aWorld Rally Championship, theSanremo Rally, in aPeugeot 309 GTI. Panatta's navigator was Enrico Riccardi. They retired after an accident.[18]
Panatta is an atheist.[19] His younger brother is fellow tennis playerClaudio Panatta.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1976 | French Open | Clay |  Harold Solomon | 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1971 | Senigallia, Italy | Clay | Martin Mulligan | 6–3, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1. | 1972 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay |  Manuel Orantes | 3–6, 8–9, 0–6 |
| Loss | 2. | 1972 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Andrés Gimeno | 5–7, 8–9, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 1973 | Valencia, Spain | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 4–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 4. | 1973 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay |  Ilie Năstase | 1–6, 6–3, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 5. | 1973 | Nice, France | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 6–7, 7–5, 6–4, 6–7, 10–12 |
| Loss | 6. | 1973 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Ilie Năstase | 3–6, 6–7, 7–5, 1–6 |
| Loss | 7. | 1973 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Ilie Năstase | 3–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | 1973 | Bournemouth, England | Clay | Ilie Năstase | 6–8, 7–5, 6–3, 8–6 |
| Win | 3. | 1974 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | 6–3, 6–1[20] |
| Loss | 8. | 1974 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay |  Björn Borg | 3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 4. | 1975 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay |  Jan Kodeš | 2–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 9. | 1975 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Jan Kodeš | 2–6, 6–3, 6–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 10. | 1975 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Björn Borg | 6–1, 6–7, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 5. | 1975 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Jimmy Connors | 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Loss | 11. | 1975 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay |  Guillermo Vilas | 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | 1976 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| Win | 7. | 1976 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Harold Solomon | 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 12. | 1976 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay |  Raúl Ramírez | 5–7, 7–6, 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 8. | 1977 | Houston WCT, United States | Clay | Vitas Gerulaitis | 7–6, 6–7, 6–1 |
| Loss | 13. | 1978 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Björn Borg | 6–1, 3–6, 1–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
| Win | 9. | 1978 | Tokyo Outdoor, Japan | Clay | Pat DuPré | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 14. | 1978 | Bologna Indoor, Italy | Carpet (i) | Peter Fleming | 2–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 10. | 1980 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 15. | 1980 | Geneva, Switzerland | Clay |  Balázs Taróczy | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 16. | 1980 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | Brian Gottfried | 6–4, 3–6, 1–6, 6–7 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1973 | Florence | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Juan GisbertIlie Năstase | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 2. | 1974 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Róbert MachánBalázs Taróczy | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 3. | 1974 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Ove Nils BengtsonBjörn Borg | 3–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 4. | 1974 | São Paulo WCT, Brazil | Carpet (i) | Ion Țiriac | Ove Nils BengtsonBjörn Borg | 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 |
| Loss | 1. | 1975 | Richmond WCT | Carpet | Paolo Bertolucci |  Hans KaryFred McNair | 6–7, 7–5, 6–7 |
| Win | 5. | 1975 | Bologna Indoor, Italy | Carpet (i) | Paolo Bertolucci | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2. | 1975 | Barcelona WCT, Spain | Carpet (i) | Paolo Bertolucci | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 6. | 1975 | London WCT, England | Carpet (i) | Paolo Bertolucci |  Jürgen FassbenderHans-Jürgen Pohmann | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 7. | 1975 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci |  Patrice DominguezFrançois Jauffret | 6–2, 6–2, 7–6 |
| Win | 8. | 1975 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann | 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3. | 1976 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Tom Okker |  Alex Metreveli Ilie Năstase | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 4. | 1976 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann | 5–7, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 5. | 1977 | Mexico City WCT, Mexico | Hard | Ilie Năstase |  Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 9. | 1977 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Ilie Năstase |  Vijay AmritrajDick Stockton | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 10. | 1977 | London WCT, England | Carpet (i) | Ilie Năstase |  Mark CoxEddie Dibbs | 7–6, 6–7, 6–3 |
| Win | 11. | 1977 | Houston WCT, U.S. | Clay | Ilie Năstase |  John AlexanderPhil Dent | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6. | 1977 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Clay | Corrado Barazzutti | Tom OkkerKen Rosewall | 1–6, 6–3, 6–7 |
| Loss | 7. | 1977 | Masters Doubles WCT, Kansas City | Carpet (i) | Vitas Gerulaitis | Vijay AmritrajDick Stockton | 6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 3–6 |
| Win | 12. | 1978 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Corrado Barazzutti | Mark EdmondsonJohn Marks | 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 |
| Loss | 8. | 1979 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | Marty RiessenSherwood Stewart | 6–4, 4–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 13. | 1979 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Ivan LendlPavel Složil | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 14. | 1979 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci |  Carlos KirmayrCássio Motta | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 15. | 1980 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Vitas GerulaitisJohn McEnroe | 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Loss | 9. | 1980 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Gene Mayer Raúl Ramírez | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 16. | 1980 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | Paolo Bertolucci | Brian Gottfried Raymond Moore | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 17. | 1981 | Nancy, France | Carpet (i) | Ilie Năstase | John FeaverJiří Hřebec | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 10. | 1981 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Raúl RamírezPavel Složil | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Win | 18. | 1982 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Paolo Bertolucci | Sammy Giammalva Jr.Tony Giammalva | 7–6, 6–1 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | SR | W–L | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | |||
| French Open | 1R | 4R | 3R | QF | SF | 2R | SF | W | QF | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | 1 / 14 | 34–13 | |||
| Wimbledon | Q1 | 1R | 3R | 3R | A | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | QF | 3R | A | A | A | 0 / 9 | 17–9 | |||
| US Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | A | 2R | 3R | 4R | 1R | A | 3R | A | A | 0 / 7 | 10–7 | |||
| Win–loss | 0–2 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 5–3 | 7–2 | 2–2 | 7–2 | 10–2 | 7–3 | 4–2 | 6–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1 / 31 | 61–30 | |||
| Other | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Italian Open | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | W | QF | F | QF | 2R | QF | 1R | 1R | 1 / 15 | 27–14 | |||
| Ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking | – | – | – | – | 14 | 34 | 14 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 29 | 34 | 39 | 76 | ||||||
Panatta would remain the only player to ever defeat the Swede at Roland-Garros.
He served as Captain of the Davis Cup team after his retirement...
Nel 1990 il campionato non venne assegnato – quando si sarebbe dovuta disputare la 3ª ed ultima manche che avrebbe assegnato il titolo all'equipaggio Adriano Panatta e Antonio Gioffredi – in segno di lutto per la morte del campione in carica Stefano Casiraghi, marito di Carolina di Monaco.
