The Ligurian’s success a few hours before that of the Azzurri: it had already happened the year before
There are those who, after the victory of the second consecutive Davis Cup, thought of Fabio Fognini: “It all started with him”, “he paved the way for the generation of phenomena”. The Ligurian did not take part in the two successes in a row, but it is as if in some way he had contributed to the growth of the Italian wave, at a distance: as happened in 2023 in conjunction with the Italy-Australia final, this year too Fognini he won a Challenger while the Azzurri triumphed in Malaga.
Spanish triumph
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Fabio won the title on the clay of Montemar, a few kilometers away from the venue of the Davis Cup finals. As if to say: “I won’t be called up, but don’t forget about me”. And he won a few hours before the Azzurri took to the field against the Netherlands. Blue talisman: Fognini, number 90 in the world and number 1 seed of the tournament, won in the final against the Austrian Lukas Neumayer, in three sets. Fabio’s path to the title was not free from pitfalls: the victory in the first round against Daniel Rincon was emblematic, 7-5 in the decisive tie break.
first success
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For Fognini it is the only title in 2024, precisely in the photo finish, as happened 12 months ago when the success came again in Spain, in Valencia, and on the day of the Davis Cup final. It was last November 26th and the blue won in the tie break of the third set against the host, Roberto Bautista Agut: 3-6 7-6 7-6. A heart-pounding comeback for a Sunday in which the former protagonist of Italian tennis brought home a cup in conjunction with the Italian triumph in Malaga. Last year’s exclusion was a hard blow for Fabio, who has now put his soul at peace. But evidently he doesn’t forget the blue: the last two titles of his career arrived during the days of the team’s success in Davis. Before this double, Fognini had not won a title since the Monte Carlo Masters-1000 in 2019. There is evidently an invisible thread that continues to link Fabio and the national team.
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