Italy claimed a third Davis Cup title in three consecutive years on Sunday, 23 November. They defeated Spain 2-0 in front of delighted home fans in Bologna. The team completed this treble without star player Jannik Sinner participating.
Flavio Cobolli sparked loud celebrations throughout the venue after his victory. He staged a remarkable comeback from a set down. Cobolli defeated Jaume Munar 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in thrilling fashion.
This victory ensured that Italy retained their prestigious Davis Cup title successfully.
Matteo Berrettini had earlier cruised to a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory. He defeated Pablo Carreño Busta in straight sets convincingly. Berrettini’s win set up Filippo Volandri’s team for overall victory.
The doubles match did not need to be played afterwards.
“This was my dream,” Cobolli declared after his match-winning performance. “We’re a really united team with incredible spirit together.”
“We tried to recreate the spirit of Italy’s 2006 World Cup team,” he continued. “I’m really proud of everyone on this squad.”
“Our brilliant fans are also part of this team,” Cobolli acknowledged. “I’ve been saying this for three days running now.”
“However, it’s genuinely the best day of my entire life,” he concluded.
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori were not employed in doubles action. The hosts won the Davis Cup without losing a single match. This represented an impressive feat by the Italian tennis team.
Italy competed without their two highest-ranked players throughout the tournament. Superstar Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti both remained absent from the competition.
Both players sit in the top 10 of men’s world rankings currently. Their absences represented major losses for the tournament organisers. They chose not to participate in the title defence on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter who goes out there for us,” Berrettini explained. “We have a deep squad with many talented players available.”
“We have lots of great lads who play exceptional tennis,” he added.
Spain also competed without their top player during the tournament. World number one Carlos Alcaraz missed the competition through injury. The six-time Grand Slam winner would have played otherwise.
Alcaraz suffered a hamstring injury during his ATP Finals showdown. This occurred against Sinner just one week ago in Turin.
Earlier on Sunday, tennis officials defended the competition’s credibility strongly. The head of the International Tennis Federation addressed criticism directly.
“There’s this false feeling that top players don’t represent their nations,” David Haggerty stated. “That accusation is simply not true at all.”
Haggerty spoke to reporters before the final match commenced.
“Some top players participated in the qualifier rounds earlier,” he explained. “They didn’t make it to the finals through results.”
“We had many top players participate throughout this competition,” Haggerty concluded.
American Taylor Fritz featured in the early rounds of competition. Australian Alex de Minaur also participated without reaching the finals. Dane, Holger Rune and Norwegian, Casper Ruud competed as well.
All four players rank in the top 20 of men’s tennis. However, none managed to reach the finals with their nations. Their early exits prevented deeper tournament runs for their countries.
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