For Adriano Panatta, 1976 stands as the defining chapter of his career, highlighted by his unforgettable French Open triumph over Harold Solomon in the final. Yet even the Italian legend had a nemesis; the one rival who made him uneasy every time they shared a court. Now, just moments before presenting the trophy he once won 50 years ago at Roland Garros, the 75-years-old revisited that remarkable memory and revealed the craziest opponent he ever dared to face.

Speaking to L’Équipe before this year’s French Open final, Adriano Panatta was asked about the craziest opponent he ever faced. “Ilie Nastase, whom I beat twice at Roland‐Garros in 1972 and 1975,” Panatta replied. The answer immediately brought back memories of one of the sport’s most fascinating rivalries in the 70’s era.

However, Panatta then revealed what made those encounters so unforgettable. “Every time I played against him, he threatened me with death. As soon as he was in trouble, he became a big devil,” the Italian added.

Despite those intense battles, Panatta made it clear there was never any lasting bitterness between the two. “But we are friends like the fingers of one hand, brothers. I played doubles with him. He was a handsome, elegant player, perhaps the one who moved the best,” he explained.

Their rivalry produced 13 matches in total starting from 1972, and the numbers ultimately favored Nastase. The Romanian, who was the inaugural world No. 1, won 10 of those encounters, with his last victory over Panatta coming in a round-robin match at the Dorado Beach WCT. 

Interestingly, while many viewed Adriano Panatta as one of his fiercest rivals, especially in clay, the Bucharest native believed another player was far more difficult to deal with. For the Romanian, no opponent came close to John McEnroe when it came to challenging behavior on the court.

Looking back during an interview in 2018 with L’Équipe, Nastase explained why the American stood apart from the rest. “McEnroe, by far. All that he did, he didn’t do with a smile. He was really bad, especially with umpires. Myself as well, but I was doing it with a smile, not like him. Maybe he played better when he was angry,” he said.

Yet when it came to pure tennis ability, the 79-year-old legend reserved his highest praise for another legend. In his eyes, Bjorn Borg, the 11-time Grand Slam winner, was the strongest player he ever encountered during his career.

“I was 30 years old when he (Bjorn) started on Tour. I call him a martian, because he was unbeatable at that moment. He would never give up a point. Everyone was thinking that he would have broken physically because he was hitting so hard. He stopped young, but not for that reason,’” Nastase recalled while reflecting on Borg’s remarkable dominance on the court.

Still, beyond the victories, rivalries, and unforgettable matches, Nastase built a reputation as one of the funniest and most entertaining characters the game has ever seen. 

His career was filled with wild stories and one of his most memorable doubles incidents at the Roland Garros which remains among the funniest tales in the sport’s history.

When Ilie Nastase released a black cat to rattle opponents at the French Open

The Roland-Garros 1977 delivered one of the most bizarre and unforgettable moments in tennis history. In the QF of the double’s tournament, Ilie Nastase teamed up with Bob Hewitt to face the Italian duo Panatta and Paolo Bertolucci, who entered the match as the clear favorites on the Parisian clay.

Nastase, however, had prepared for more than just the game. The Romanian had come up with a plan designed to throw his Italian opponents off balance before the match had even properly begun.

The story actually started two months ago at the Monte Carlo Masters. During a dinner together, Panatta and Bertolucci reacted when a black cat crossed their path. “Both of them tell me, ‘It’s bad luck,'” Nastase recalled later in an interview.

That moment stayed in the Romanian’s mind. Known throughout his career for his practical jokes and unpredictable behavior, Nastase believed the Italians’ superstition could eventually be used against them in the match at Paris.

Determined to test his theory, Nastase approached an employee working in the French Open locker room. Nastase asked him to find a black cat and help him set up the unusual prank.

The animal was then hidden inside his player’s bag, waiting for the perfect moment to make an appearance outside of it. As soon as the match began and only a few points had been played, Nastase put his plan into action by asking to change his racket.

“I went to my bag. I opened it, I took out the cat. And frightened, he ran away towards Panatta. Incredible! As if it was done on purpose!”, Nastase later said with a laugh. The crowd erupted in laughter, while the stunned Italians could hardly believe what they were seeing on the court.

The prank appeared to work perfectly at the end. Hewitt and Nastase cruised to a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory, and nearly five decades later, the black-cat incident still stands as one of the funniest and craziest stories ever told in tennis. 

And as Panatta watches from the stands while the French Open final unfolds, the big question remains: who will lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires by day’s end?