We are the best in the world, Berrettini and Sinner crush the Netherlands and give Italy the second Davis Cup in a row

John

By John

Another success, another triumph, by Jannik Sinner. The extraordinary year of Italian tennis could not have ended in any other way, namely with the conquest of the second consecutive prestigious salad bowl. The South Tyrolean beat Tallon Griekspoor and gave the Italian team the decisive point of 2-0 in the 2024 Davis Cup final, against the Netherlands, staged on the indoor hard courts of the “Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena” of Malaga. The tennis player from San Candido, number one in the world, in the second singles of the match, defeated his rival from the “Orange” team, number 40 in the international ranking, with a score of 7-6 (2) 6-2. A much harder victory than expected thanks also and above all to a “deluxe” version of Griekspoor. Previously, in the first single of the final act, Matteo Berrettini, number 35 in the world, ever closer to his best form (that of 2021, when he reached the final at Wimbledon), beat Botic Van De Zandschulp, ranked 80 ATP, with the score of 6-4 6-2. Lorenzo Musetti, Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli complete the Italian team celebrating in Malaga.

This is the second Davis Cup victory in a row for the Azzurri, captained by Filippo Volandri, and it is the third triumph in history for the Italian men’s national tennis team after the first success in 1976. However, six times in which the Azzurri have won surrendered to the final act. For the Netherlands, on the other hand, it was their first Davis Cup final. An incredible season for Sinner with the top of the world rankings, the conquest of two Grand Slam titles (the Australian Open and the US Open), the success in the ATP Finals and now the second triumph in Davis. Super year, in general, for all Italian tennis. The Davis Cup-Billie Jean King Cup pairing is historicwhich arrived thanks to the victory on Wednesday of the girls led by Tathiana Garbin, to add to the Sinner titles and the two Paris2024 medals (the gold in the women’s doubles by Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini and the bronze in the men’s singles by Musetti), to the finals reached at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in singles by Paolini and the mixed doubles title won at the US Open by Errani and Vavassori. Italy of tennis, therefore, is master of the world.

Filippo Volandri he has led the Italian team since 2021 and as captain he has a record of 18 wins and 3 defeats, with two Davis Cups under his belt, an absolute record-man in Italian tennis. As a player, he represented Italy in the Davis Cup between 2001 and 2010 with a record of 10 successes and 7 defeats. Nicola Pietrangeli holds all the national records. He is the one who has played the most matches (164) and holds the highest number of victories in both singles (78-32) and doubles (42-12) together with Orlando Sirola (34-8). Among the players present in Malaga, he is Jannik Sinner is the tennis player who boasts the most victories in bluewith 12 wins and just one defeat since 2021, the year of his Davis debut. Matteo Berrettini, on the other hand, boasts a record of 9-2, including five consecutive singles matches this year.