Pantheon considers the following individuals to be the top ten most legendary Italian tennis players of all time. The HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a measure that collects information about a biography's internet popularity, is used to rank this list of notable Italian Tennis Players. To see the complete list of Italian tennis players, go to the rankings page.
Jump to:
1. Lilí Álvarez (1905 - 1998)
Alvarez is the most well-known Italian tennis player, with an HPI of 60.86. On Wikipedia, her biography has been translated into 18 other languages.
Elia Maria González-lvarez y López-Chicheri (Spanish pronunciation: [lili alae]; 9 May 1905 – 8 July 1998) was a Spanish multi-sport participant, world tennis champion, author, feminist, and journalist.
2. Adriano Panatta (1950 - )
Adriano Panatta is the second most renowned Italian tennis player, with an HPI of 60.02. His autobiography has been published in 24 languages.
Adriano Panatta is an Italian former professional tennis player who was born on July 9, 1950. He won the French Open in 1976 and is the only player to have ever defeated Björn Borg at Roland Garros, which he did twice. From 2018 to 2021, he will be a frequent guest on the RAI program Quelli che... il Calcio.
read also: Best Tennis Players from Serbia
3. Flavia Pennetta (1982 - )
Flavia Pennetta is the third most renowned Italian tennis player, with an HPI of 55.90. Her autobiography has been published in 45 languages.
Flavia Pennetta (born February 25, 1982; Italian pronunciation: [flavja pennetta]) is an Italian former professional tennis player. On 17 August 2009, she became Italy's first top-ten female singles player, and on 28 February 2011, she became the first Italian to be rated world No. 1 in doubles. She is a major winner, having won the 2011 Australian Open women's doubles championship with Gisela Dulko and the 2015 US Open singles victory in the first all-Italian major final over childhood friend Roberta Vinci. Pennetta went on to win eleven more WTA singles championships, including the 2014 Indian Wells Open, when she upset the top two seeds. She was also a key member of Italy's Fed Cup squad, helping them win four championships in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013. Her previous doubles achievements include winning the 2010 WTA Finals and being runner-up at the 2005 and 2014 US Opens with Elena Dementieva and Martina Hingis, respectively. Pennetta announced her retirement at the conclusion of the 2015 season after winning the US Open, and she played her last event in the WTA Finals singles debut. In the round-robin round, she defeated eventual winner Agnieszka Radwanska and retired with a top-ten singles ranking. On January 24, 2007, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, then-President of Italy, named Pennetta a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic.
4. Francesca Schiavone (1980 - )
Francesca Schiavone is the fourth most renowned Italian tennis player, with an HPI of 55.08. Her life story has been translated into more than 50 languages.
Francesca Schiavone (born June 23, 1980; Italian pronunciation: [franteska skjavone]) is a former Italian tennis player. She went pro in 1998 and won the French Open singles championship in 2010, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles tournament. She also finished second in the 2011 French Open. Her highest career rating is No. 4 in the world, which she earned on January 31, 2011. Schiavone is the last one-handed backhand player on the women's circuit to win a Grand Slam championship. She won a total of eight WTA singles championships, including Roland Garros, throughout her career. Her career-best rating in doubles is world No. 8, which she achieved after reaching the final of the 2008 French Open. In addition, she has the most victories for the Italian team, having helped them win the Fed Cup in 2006, 2009, and 2010. When Schiavone beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 1–6, 16–14 in the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open women's singles draw, the match lasted 4 hours and 44 minutes, securing her first and only quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open. At the US Open on September 5, 2018, Schiavone announced her retirement from tennis. She expressed her desire to win a Grand Slam as a coach at the announcement. Schiavone started teaching Petra Marti in April 2021.
read also: Best Tennis Players from Croatia
5. Fabio Fognini (1987 - )
Fabio Fognini is the fifth most renowned Italian tennis player, with an HPI of 53.95. His autobiography has been published in 32 languages.
Fabio Fognini (Italian pronunciation: [fabjo foini]) is an Italian professional tennis player who was born on May 24, 1987. On July 15, 2019, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the world. The Association of Tennis Professionals presently has him rated among the top 50 players in the world. Red clay is Fognini's most successful surface, where he has won eight of his nine ATP singles championships, including the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters, and where he also reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 French Open. Fognini won the 2015 Australian Open doubles title with Simone Bolelli, becoming the first all-Italian men's duo to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era.
