Pietrangeli: “I still dream of the defeat against Panatta in 1970, and I fall out of bed”

The interview with L'Equipe: "What parties in Monte-Carlo. Once, with Tiriac and Nastase we dressed up as ugly women, it was disgusting"

ROMA – “I won 4-1 in the fifth set and there, for once, I was pretentious. If I dream about it at night, I still fall out of bed, but it was a passing of the baton between old and young people”. Adriano Panatta remains Nicola Pietrangeli’s nightmare. -et-1960-on-jouait-pour-s-amuser/1470614″>an interview with L’Equipe. A journey through the memories of a festive, enjoyable tennis, very different from today’s professionalism: ” We played for fun, money changed everything.”

“A defeat or a victory in the final represents a difference in winnings of 500,000 euros while we played at most for two sandwiches. In 1960, in Hamburg, we went around, there were posters of “The Beatles “, we said to ourselves ‘but what are The Cockroaches? It was the first time they left England, the ticket cost a mark and a half, including beer“.

Pietrangelo recounts “the memorable parties in Monte-Carlo, with Gloria Butler in the organization (the daughter of George Butler, who in the 1920s had been responsible for the construction of the Monte-Carlo Country club). They were always Thursday, that’s why the most surprising results came on Fridays! There were artists and actors, we sang, we did stripteases, champagne galoreOnce, with Ion Tiriac and Ilie Nastase, we dressed up and formed a trio. ugly women, it was disgustingto see! Another year, I woke up in the car at 9 in the morning, I had no idea what had happened”.

“There were no rivalries – continues Pietrangeli – I traveled a lot with the Spaniards and Mexicans who called me Captain. When they finished their game they asked: Captain, where are we going to dinner tonight? We were all friends, it was truly another life. In Paris my headquarters was the Crazy Horse, I lived with Alain Bernardin, its creator. I also often went to Chez Régine, every evening, even the year of my second Roland, and until the day before the final, for good luck. I don’t remember how I celebrated the first title. For the second we went to a Russian restaurant, my mother’s country. Nothing more”.