Italy has retained the Davis Cup with a 2-0 victory against the Netherlands in Malaga.
Matteo Berrettini has stepped up and helped Italy win the Davis Cup title when he was most needed. After Musetti lost his opening Davis Cup match against Cerundolo, the Italians decided to make a change. They replaced him with Matteo, which was their best decision. Matteo won his opening match against Kokkinakis after fighting for almost three hours on the court. After losing the first set, Matteo stayed calm and turned the match around. Today, in the final against the Netherlands, Berrettini played without any pressure and dominated against Van de Zandschulp from the very start of the match. Matteo offered no breakpoints and was lethal on his serve. “My level never really left; it was more when you are struggling physically and mentally; it’s not easy to play your best tennis,” said Matteo after his victory. Last year in Malaga, Matteo came to support his country but was unfortunately not fit enough to play. “Last year was really nice to be here, but at the same time, I remember a moment, like, why did I come? I wasn’t part of the team 100 percent, but I am competitive and want to be a part of the team,” said Berrettini.
“We are happy to be back here holding his trophy. It feels like being in Italy,” told Sinner on court during the celebrations. The world number 1 delivered throughout the whole tournament. He won all of his Davis Cup knockout phase matches in straight sets and showed us yet again how great of a player he is. With those wins, Jannik prolonged his winning streak to 17 straight wins. Today against the Netherlands, Sinner won against Griekspoor in straight sets and delivered again. With that win, Jannik became just the second tennis player in the Open Era to play a full season of matches without losing in straight sets. Are you guessing who the first player is? Roger Federer, of course.
Italy has been the first country to win back-to-back Davis Cup titles since 2013 when the Czech Republic won it two times in a row. This is their third Davis Cup title altogether. They have also won the Billie Jean King Cup in the same year. Italy started this journey by winning Group A among Belgium, Brazil, and the Netherlands. In the quarterfinals, Italy defeated Argentina 2-1. It was also their toughest challenge en route to the title. Berrettini and Sinner did the job against Gonzalez and Molteni in the doubles and secured the semifinals. Italy had it easy against Australia in the semifinals, winning 2-0 after the singles matches.
The ATP tour season is officially over. We will have an off-season until the end of December. The ATP Next Gen Finals will be the next tournament. It is a tournament for the best eight players in the world under 21, beginning on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We will also predict the ATP Next Gen Finals, so stay tuned.
Know your limit. Play within it.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
