Son of Late Italian Tennis Legend Reveals Roger Federer Sent Touching Handwritten Letter to Family

Nicola Pietrangeli once called 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer the Diego Maradona of tennis.

Son of Late Italian Tennis Legend Reveals Roger Federer Sent Touching Handwritten Letter to Family

Roger Federer (Image via X/Dinora RF)

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Italian tennis great Nicola Pietrangeli passed away at the age of 92 on December 1st. Amidst condolences from the tennis world, Roger Federer sent a handwritten letter to Pietrangeli’s family.

The letter arrived on December 22. Pietrangeli’s eldest son, Marco Pietrangeli, revealed Federer’s letter recently to the Italian media.

In the letter, Roger speaks of my father as a symbol and a fundamental figure for Italian tennis, but not only that. He also mentions the immense pleasure he felt every time they met, especially in Rome, during the Internazionali d’Italia.

Marco Pietrangeli said

Pietrangeli turned pro in 1968 and called time on his career in 1973. He lifted two Grand Slam singles titles, both in the amateur era (1959, 1960). Pietrangeli also won the 1959 French Open doubles title and the 1958 French Open mixed doubles title.

Pietrangeli often heaped praises on Federer and even once said, “Roger is like Maradona, from another planet. You get excited just by watching him.” The Swiss maestro called time on his career at the 2022 Laver Cup after losing the doubles match he played alongside Rafael Nadal.

Marcos Baghdatis on his matches against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

Marcos Baghdatis, a former player from Cyprus, met all three members of the Big 3. During his interview with Tennis365, Baghdatis revealed that, among Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, he found the Serb difficult to play.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal (Image via X/Danny)

I think, whenever I played Novak, [they were] pretty close matches. That’s my thinking. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what I remember. But I think I once got a nice beating out of him, and it was in Indian Wells. It was a 6-1, 6-2 (6-1, 6-3). I came off the court, and I felt the guy gave me a lesson. And I never felt like that with another player.

Marcos Baghdatis said

Baghdatis lost the eight matches he played against the 24-time Grand Slam champion. He beat Nadal just once out of their 10 encounters, while against Federer, he trailed 1-7 in the head-to-head matchups.

I never felt like that with Roger or with Rafa, even when I was younger, and I played Roger, I always felt like, ‘Next time I can beat him’. I always felt that. But with Novak it was… I didn’t have that feeling, especially after that match.

Marcos Baghdatis added

Two years after Federer’s retirement, Nadal joined him on the former players’ list. The King of Clay hung up his racket at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after Spain lost their quarterfinal match 2-0 against eventual runners-up Netherlands.

Djokovic is still a part of the tour and is not planning to retire in the near future. He dreams of ending his career at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

This year, Djokovic won just two ATP 250 titles, at the Geneva Open and the Hellenic Championship, by defeating Hubert Hurkacz and Lorenzo Musetti, respectively. Djokovic also made the final of the Miami Open but couldn’t end his Big Title drought, losing to Jakub Mensik.

In Grand Slam events, while an injury saw him give the walkover to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in the semifinal of the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner knocked him out of the French Open’s last four and Wimbledon. Eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz eliminated him in the semifinal of the US Open.

Djokovic will next be featuring at the Adelaide International, following which, he will shift his focus toward the Australian Open, where he has won a record 10 titles. The last time he won a title in the Major Down Under was in 2023, by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas. Last year, eventual champion Sinner beat him in the semifinal.

Also read: Stan Wawrinka Apologizes to Roger Federer After ‘A**hole’ Comment Resurfaces