From 2018 to 2021, he was a regular guest of the RAI sport broadcast Quelli che... il Calcio.

In his early career, Panatta won top-level professional titles at Bournemouth in 1973, Florence in 1974, Kitzbühel and Stockholm in 1975.

The pinnacle of his career arrived in 1976, when he won the French Open defeating Harold Solomon in the final 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6.

He finished off 1976 by helping Italy capture its first-ever Davis Cup title, winning two singles and a doubles rubber in the final against Chile.

[6][7] Panatta remained the highest-ranking Italian tennis player in history until February 2024, when Jannik Sinner became No.

[10] In 1977, Panatta won the World Championship Tennis in Houston, where he defeated Jimmy Connors and Vitas Gerulaitis.

After his retirement, Panatta has served as captain of Italy's Davis Cup team,[13] and as tournament director of the Rome Masters.