Italian No.1 Fabio Fognini will end his successful collaboration with coach Franco Davin at the end of the season, according to reports.
The world No.9 has been working alongside the Argentine since late 2016 and he has achieved numerous milestones. Under Davin’s guidance, Fognini has won five ATP titles. The most prestigious of those was in April when he claimed the Monte Carlo Open title. Becoming the first ever player from his country to win a Masters 1000 event. Following on from that, he cracked the world’s top 10 for the first time in June at the age of 32. Becoming the oldest player to do so since August 1973.
News of the upcoming separation has been reported by La Nacion journalist Sebastián Torok. He has reported that both men have agreed to go their own way later this year.
“Fabio Fognini and coach Franco Davin will stop working together at the end of the season, after 3 very productive years, in which the Italian reached the Top 10 (at 9) and won 5 titles (Monte Carlo, the most valuable). In very good terms, they understood that a cycle was fulfilled.” He wrote in Spanish.
Davin has a wealth of experience on the tour. Having also previously worked with Gaston Gaudio, Juan Martin del Potro and Grigor Dimitrov. It is claimed that during 2018 he received two other offers to work with other players, but elected to continue his collaboration with Fognini. It is unclear as to who those two players were.
The news comes as Fognini is set to exit the world’s top 10 on Monday after seven consecutive weeks. At the Los Cabos Open, where he was the defending champion, Fognini lost in the quarter-finals to Taylor Fritz. Fognini has already played three tournaments since the end of Wimbledon.
“I know that I have a difficult second part of the season before me. It is going to be a tough challenge as, right now, the difference between the eighth and the fifteenth player in the world is minor,” he recently told reporters at the Croatia Open.
Fognini will return to action at the Rogers Cup. Seeded seventh, he has a bye in the first round. His opening match will be against either wild card Brayden Schnur or a yet-to-be decided qualifier.
There is yet to be any comment from either Fognini or Davin regarding the reported separation.
