“It’s a very bad Monday.Nicola Pietrangeli was our captain in the first Davis Cup victory, in Chile in 1976but above all it was the first great Italian player, absolute record holder as regards the matches played in the Davis Cup, a record that no one will ever be able to take away from him”. Thus, in a video published by Sport Mediaset, Paolo Bertolucci, who won the Davis Cup in ’76 as a player, with Pietrangeli as captain.
“It was ours first tennis hero as kids we watched him play with our mouths open, in the black and white of Davis’ first matches. Nicola also had a large onepersonalityera un great characterwhich he wroteindelible pages. It’s theItalian tennis. Unfortunately, after Lea Pericoli, we lost him too”, added Bertolucci.
The personal memory of Paolo Bertolucci
“We knew that unfortunately he was very ill. Nicola was minefirst great tennis love – Paolo Bertolucci later said, speaking on ‘La Politica nel Pallone’ on Rai Gr Parliament – when I was a kid I looked at him with my mouth wide open. He was a man ofclass e di personalityand he was a frank and sincere person. We spent somewonderful momentstogether and we even had some clashes, but the utmost respect remains for thegreat championwhich it was. He has always been a great character, going to dinner with him was always a pleasure.”
Elegance, legacy and the political role in the 1976 Davis Cup
“He traveled the world, introduced us to important people and always kept us oneleganceso much so that it was elegant even intennis court. He never accepted the change in tennis and the modernization of the world, but it is right that Nicola is remembered for what he gave totennis e allo sportin general. Without hispolitical battlel’Italy by Davis from 1976she would never even leave for theChile”added Bertolucci.