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The rise of Italian men’s tennis has been forecast by many for years as a special generation of young, talented players gradually climbed towards the top of the game. It is fair to say that they have arrived. One year on from their second ever triumph in the competition, Italy won the Davis Cup for a second straight year by defeating the Netherlands 2-0 in Malaga.
In a rematch of Italy’s group-stage victory in September, Matteo Berrettini opened the tie with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win over Botic van de Zandschulp, providing the perfect platform for Jannik Sinner, the world No 1. After edging a tough opening set against an impressive Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner opened up his shoulders and marched to a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory.
This year marks the first time that the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup finals have overlapped and have been played in the same city. The two competitions produced identical outcomes, with Italy also winning the BJK Cup in the stadium next door on Wednesday as Jasmine Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon finalist in singles and Olympic gold medalist in doubles, appropriately closed out her breakthrough season. Italy is the fifth nation to win the two titles in the same season.
There are nine Italian male players ranked inside the ATP top 100, six of whom are 23 years old or under. This title run has been a reflection of their incredible depth, with a large pool of players contributing to their success over the past two years. Sinner did not compete in the September group stage in Bologna, while Flavio Cobolli, the Italian No 3 who played a key role in Italy’s qualification, was injured this week. Berrettini, meanwhile, was injured and watching from the sidelines last year yet he contributed to three key wins this week.
But no player is as valuable as Sinner. His victory over Griekspoor closes out a remarkable year, one of the best in the 21st century and certainly by far the best season from a player born after Novak Djokovic.
In addition to leading his team to another Davis Cup title, Sinner has won eight individual titles this year, including the Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals.
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While he continues to dominate on the court, Sinner’s future remains unclear after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the verdict of his anti-doping case to the court of arbitration for sport. Sinner had received a ruling of “no fault or negligence” and he was cleared to play after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in March.
