Italy will face a strong Austrian team featuring 2020 US Open champion and Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem in the opening match in Group C at the ATP Cup in Melbourne on Tuesday.
In the inaugural edition of the ATP Cup last year the Italian team was beaten by Russia, before winning the other two matches against Norway and the United States, but it was not not enough to get through to the knock-out stage. Matteo Berrettini had to pull out of last year’s edition due to an injury problem. This year the 2019 US Open semifinalist will lead a strong Italian team that features 2019 Monte-Carlo champion Fabio Fognini, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Italian tennis hopes to continue its renaissance. There are currently eight players inside the top 100, four players inside the top 40 and two of the most promising Next Gen stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti. Fognini and Bolelli won the 2015 Australian Open doubles title, inspiring a new generation of players.
“We are always helping each other to get trough our limits. One week Fabio is winnng a tournament. The next week I am trying to win my tournament, at least my best result. It’s a healthy competition. We always push each other to improve our performances. It’s a healthy competition. We were watching Fognini and Bolelli and we were inspired by them. They are still doing great careers. I think it helps us to figure out how to do it. We are all really excited to play, excited to come back and play with crowd. It’s been a long time. It’s nice play with a team. We are a strong team. We are good friends. It’s going to be nice”, said Berrettini.
In the inaugural tie against Austria Berrettini will take on Dominic Thiem. They will meet for the fifth time. They are 2-2 in their previous head-to-head matches. Thiem beat Berrettini at 2018 Roland Garros and in the semifinal of the Vienna Open. Berrettini prevailed in the quarter final in Shanghai and in the round robin match at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
“At the end of the 2019 season I met Matteo in three important matches. They were high-quality matches. He is a great player. I am not happy to make my debut against him, but it will be an interesting match”, said Dominic Thiem.
The good news of the Australian tennis season is that the ATP Cup will be attended by crowd.
“We are lucky that we are here and we play with a big crowd on court. The player that I am, I feel that I need the crowd because, sometimes I am a bit crazy. I do something special in every sense, but I really enjoy”, said Fognini.
