Sinner leads Italy, Davis Cup is Italian after 47 years

Italian tennis wins in the name of Jannik Sinner.

Forty-seven years later, he is the one who leads the Azzurri to dance with the salad bowl, as the most coveted trophy is called, the Davis. He did it by defeating Australia, something very forbidden, in the final in Malaga, thanks to the successes of Matteo Arnaldi and above all Jannik Sinner, the blue diamond, the real hero of the Andalusian Final 8, capable of leading Italian tennis to the finish line with the hand that had been missing since 1976 when Panatta-Barazotti-Barazzotti-Zugarelli made it Italy’s dream, with Pietrangeli as captain.

In their eighth Davis Cup Final (fourth against Australia, winners in 1960, 1961 and 1977), captain Filippo Volandri’s sons achieved the feat. The last attempt was in 1998, and Italy lost the match to Sweden. In Malaga, the color blue dominates, and the second victory in history comes with two victories in singles. Also starring was Matteo Arnaldi who lost on his debut and instead upset Popyrin in three sets after suffering a crisis in the second set. Then the ace by Sinner, who only yesterday managed to beat world number one Djokovic for the second time, and today he was precise in getting rid of De Minaur’s aggression in the net, which only made him difficult. In the first matches. The match ended in two sets, 6-3, 6-0: on the third match point canceled by his Australian friend, Sinner set off the celebrations of the Italian bench, sitting next to captain Volandri and all the players also largely absent. Matteo Berrettini. The result of the second group says that when Sinner started working, there was nothing for anyone.

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And on the evening in Malaga, Mateo Arnaldi was also the protagonist, who did not disappoint and won the decisive first singles match, defeating Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, after wasting three set points before closing the first set and saving eight points. Break points in the third. After the three unused match points in the quarter-final against the Dutchman Boteach van de Zandschulp in the match that opened the Italian campaign in Malaga, Arnaldi returns to the field with a studied agility that allowed him to gain 90 places in the classification early on. 2023. Along with the speed with which he can absorb mistakes without being affected by them, and the strong personality that must be channeled to enhance their effects, his greater and more obvious quality is the core skill that kept the game going.

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Then, of course, there is tennis. There are shots that must be improved and refined, but a high-level reading of situations and speed in processing information equals the speed of legs and feet flying on the field. Blue starts well, takes a break but doesn’t defend it. The match oscillates like a pendulum between fighting spirit and tension. They both try to counter-attack, playing deep with few changes, more in the middle to move the opponent and then coming in and targeting the sidelines. The Sanremo player is close to closing the score. He actually got three set points in response, but was hit by a forehand three times.

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Three mistakes out of fear and frustration that seem to have consequences in the next match as well. In fact, Blue finds himself facing break points twice, but saves himself. In fact, when the going gets tough, he eventually plays better. However, the Australian starts the second set with a break advantage. Blue is hasty on key picks, and the double fault takes care of the rest. The weight of the game and the responsibility falls on Arnaldi, who is playing harder to catch up. But, as often happens, it only makes matters worse. The third group is always moving on the edge. The fans, mostly Italian, heat up the atmosphere. Popyrin misses five chances to take a one-shot lead in the first two comebacks. Arnaldi lets the wave pass, but stays in front. The Sanremo player finished the fifth game with what could be considered the first real ‘Arnaldi style’ point of the match: great defending from the back, then an explosive shot from the right from the left down the line. The entire Italian team, including fan extraordinaire Matteo Berrettini, is jumping to their feet. The ball is passed to Sinner, who concludes the score in an hour and 21 minutes. Afterwards, all the Azzurri fans on the pitch, including Volandri, expressed their feelings to the crowd. Davis’ party begins, and it’s blue

Arnaldi, the most important match of my career

I’m happy with the feelings I felt. It was definitely the most important match of my career. “I didn’t play my best match but I’m happy to be home,” Matteo Arnaldi said at the end of the first singles of the Davis Cup final, in which he earned Italy’s first point by defeating Alexei Popyrin.