Italy continues to be the capital of the tennis world.
The Italians won the Davis Cup in 2023, they boast the ATP’s top-ranked player, and they won the Billie Jean King Cup earlier this week. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Jannik Sinner and company went back-to-back by triumphing at the Davis Cup Finals on Sunday evening in Malaga.
Sinner capped off a dominant 2024 campaign by clinching the championship tie against the Netherlands with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over Tallon Griekspoor. The world No. 1 struck 15 aces compared to just a single double-fault while prevailing in one hour and 31 minutes.
“Every year is different feelings,” Sinner commented. “Obviously coming back as defending champions and winning again, it’s one of the best feelings I think for all of us. Of course having Matteo here as a player and as a teammate, it’s a bit different. So I’m very happy and glad that we managed this.
“But the whole team gave 100 percent. There is a lot of work behind the scenes…. So we are very happy to lift this trophy and of course to go into the preseason with a bunch of confidence boosts.”
It’s not like Sinner needed any additional confidence. The 23-year-old compiled a 73-6 record this season, highlighted by his first two major titles at the Australian Open and U.S. Open. He is the first player in history two win at least two Grand Slams, the Nitto ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup in a single year. Sinner is also the only male player other than Roger Federer (2005) to go an entire year without losing a match in straight sets.
Matteo Berrettini also played an Italian hero role in 2024. Across singles and doubles in the finals and the group stage, the 28-year-old went a perfect 6-0. He got his team off to a fast start in Sunday’s championship by beating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2.
It was especially sweet for Berrettini after being on the bench for last year’s festivities in Malaga, sidelined by an injury.
“(Watching last year), I once again realized how much I care about Davis Cup,” he reflected. “And living those moments, I took all this energy, and I was like, ‘okay, next year, you’re going to be here; you’re going to be fighting for Italy. I used that as an engine for the training sessions and everything that happened afterwards.”
nice one, Italy