This year, Team Italy defeated both the Netherlands and Serbia to pave a smooth route to the Davis Cup finals, their first in 25 years.
Their last appearance in the finals on December 4-6, 1998, saw them lose against Sweden with a record of 1-4 in front of a home crowd in Forum, Milan, Italy. Their only win at that time came from Diego Nargiso, who defeated Sweden’s Margus Norman.
Cut to 2023, and Italy now has the chance to rewrite that history.
Five outstanding players make up Italy’s roster this year: Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Arnaldi, Lorenzo Musetti, Simone Bolelli, and, of course, the 22-year-old Italian sensation Jannik Sinner.
And they are set to face the runner-up team from last year, Australia, in the finals. The two nations have already faced each other 12 times in the prestigious World Cup, with Australia having triumphed in three of their final bouts.
Now, the fans are waiting to see if the Italians can reverse the situation this time.
Italy’s lone win in Davis Cup
According to a piece published by the Davis Cup, Italy has only ever won once in the Davis Cup, which dates back to 1976. Corrado Barazutti, Adriano Panatta, and Paolo Bertolucci were the key players who helped Italy beat Chile. 4-1.
Semi-finals against Serbia
There was a lot of apprehension regarding Italy’s matchup against the Serbian team, since it was led by the 24-grand slam champion and 7-time ATP champion, Novak Djokovic.
Their first match saw Italy lose against Serbia. Kecmanovic had defeated Italy’s Musetti 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-1.
However, Sinner, who was fuelled by the support of his country, went on to win the second match against Djokovic.The Italian managed to come back from a near loss in the third set, 4-5 at 0-40, saved three consecutive match points, and ultimately broke Djokovic’s play.
In the pivotal doubles match, Sinner teamed up with Sonego to beat Djokovic and Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4, to take Italy to its first Finals appearance in the Davis Cup since 1998.“I’m just very happy for all of us, for the team, and tomorrow we have a great opportunity,” said Sinner. “ It’s the first time that we can play a final in Davis Cup, which means a lot for us.”
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