Filippo, who works for the organization of the Internazionali, speaks: “Lunch in Paris with Manolo Santana, the pranks with Panatta, Aunt Lea’s affection. Sinner’s silence? I’d rather not answer.”

“Talking about my father is difficult, but at the same time easy.” This is how Filippo Pietrangeli begins, in a phone call that is painful yet liberating. In times of mourning, opening the book of memories can divert one’s attention from the sense of loss and allow, even if only fleetingly, a journey back in time.

Filippo, what was Nicola Pietrangeli like as a dad?

“It might seem strange, but he was a father just like any other. He loved us, raised us, and never let us want for anything. Sure, he was a demanding dad—in the best sense of the word. He let us live in a world totally different from that of any other child. When he was traveling the world—first as a player, then as Davis Cup captain—he was always away. Then he settled in Rome, and we began to share his passions.”

Tennis?

“Actually, we kids all played different sports. I rode horses, Marco played American football, and Giorgio surfed.”

The classic rebellion against your parents’ wishes?

“Not at all—he always gave us the freedom to choose. He never pushed us to play tennis, partly because the last name carried a lot of weight…”

What passions did you share, then?

“I played with him on the Canottieri Roma soccer team. I was a fullback, he was a midfielder, even though he started out as a center forward. We competed in the Caravella, the historic tournament between clubs, and, thanks to our friendship with Prince Albert, we even organized matches against the team from the Principality of Monaco.”

Any spats on the field?

“No, no, but once we staged an episode of *Scherzi a parte*. My brother Marco and I would pretend to bump into each other and fall to the ground; the referee would call nonexistent fouls, and Dad would get angry.”

What memories do you have of Nicola Pietrangeli as a player?

“When he won Roland Garros and the Internazionali, I wasn’t even born yet (Filippo was born in 1963, ed.). I saw the final of the Italian Open against Adriano Panatta on television.”

Bologna, September 27, 1970: that was a sort of passing of the torch.

“Adriano was a frequent guest at our house. His relationship with my father was immediately marked by constant banter, right from the first day they met. And it stayed that way until the end. They both enjoyed friendly bickering—it was a game.”

How did you experience the events surrounding the 1976 Davis Cup final? The protests in Italy, the political pressure not to play in Chile during Pinochet’s dictatorship, and your father’s determination to take the team there anyway?

“I was a teenager: it was a pretty intense time for our family; we, too, sensed that the atmosphere was far from relaxed. My brothers and I would always notice a police or Carabinieri patrol car parked outside our house, 24 hours a day. A few years later, my father spoke of threats he’d received during those weeks.”

Which matches do you remember most fondly?

“We kids lived and breathed tennis: we were just bit players in that world. Once I attended a lunch in Paris with my father and Manolo Santana—the player who denied him a third consecutive title at Roland Garros but who later became a dear friend of his. I met another great rival, Rod Laver, in Rome, when Dad presented him with the Golden Racket. And then McEnroe, Federer, Djokovic, Nadal….”

And Lea Pericoli?

“She was like an aunt to me: Aunt Lea. She loved us dearly, and her relationship with my father was special. When she died, I cried a lot.”

You ended up making tennis your profession.

“I joined the organization of the Internazionali in 1999. I remember a wonderful trip with my dad and my son to San Diego to watch the 2010 Fed Cup final. In recent years, we’ve been very close: because of his health issues, I’d accompany him on his trips. I’ve had the privilege of being by his side thanks to my job, and for that I thank the FITP.”

You were also in Málaga.

“Yes, two years ago we won the Davis Cup again after 47 years, and he was overjoyed to be able to lift the trophy alongside the guys. He was proud of them.”

A few months ago, Giorgio passed away prematurely.

“A tragedy. In a year and a half, I’ve lost my mother, my brother, and my father.”

These days, the tennis world is paying public tribute to an icon of the sport. No social media posts from Jannik Sinner, the idol of our time. Are you disappointed?

“I’d rather not answer.”