Adriano Panatta: Roger Federer surprises me, Nadal and Djokovic are boring
In an interview to La Nazione, 1976 French Open winner Adriano Panatta praised Roger Federer and criticized Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Italian believes the Swiss is far more classy and talented than his two rivals in terms of gamestyle. 'Federer is a mix of Tony Bennett, McCartney, Pink Floyds. A show. Federer still surprises me. Nadal hits strong and he is so aggressive, Djokovic gets all the balls back but their game is boring. They play well, but they hit so hard. At my time it was so different, volley is so classic,' said Panatta.
Reflecting on Ilie Nastase, Panatta added: 'He is a little crazy, he liked to create buzz but he was funny and in the end I always thought he was a very good guy.'
About the Italian no. 1 Fabio Fognini, Panatta said: 'I admit I follow him less, but he is a good player who would have the shots to crack the top ten rankings. He can improve mentally, sometimes the attitude is his problem.'
Who is the new Panatta? 'He cannot exist, we played at a certain rhythm, now everything goes faster, you do not even have the time to think, only Federer does it.'
What was the best match Panatta ever played? 'I think the 1976 French Open semifinal with Dibbs, I played better than in the final, every ball went in. But also at the US Open with (Jimmy) Connors despite I lost. Tennis gave me everything. Many satisfactions, the success, the chance to trave around the world doing what I liked. It may prevented me to spend time with friends and especially with my sons who were little while I was playing almost for the whole year.'
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from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Qx2wAf
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