The end came for the South Tyrolean and the Azzurri. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco
It wasn’t because of him, of course. Jannik Sinner has done his homework and bravely defended himself against the world’s best duo in doubles with Fabio Fognini. In the end, it shouldn’t be enough.
29. November 2021
Author: am
Just before that, Sinner had defeated the Croatian Marin Ciclic in a passionate game (here is the detailed report) and thus kept the hopes of the Azzurri alive. The score was 1: 1 after 2 matches in the Davis Cup quarter-finals between Italy and Croatia, the doubles now had to bring the decision. After a short break of less than an hour, Sinner was back on the field in the Pala Alpitour Arena in Turin. Together with Fabio Fognini he played against the Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic for a place in the next round. Even before the game, it was clear that this task would be anything but easy. And so it was. The Croatians presented themselves too strong, too ripped off. After 1:20 hours of play and sometimes a great fight, the Azzurri had to admit defeat in 2 sets with 3: 6 and 4: 6. Croatia won the Davis Cup quarter-finals 2-1.
At times, the 20-year-old South Tyrolean and the 34-year-old from Sanremo fought a self-sacrificing fight against what is currently the best double in the world. In difficult phases they demonstrated mental strength, and they were often on an equal footing. Letting your head hang was not an issue. Would you like an example? In the first set, when Sinner / Fognini were already behind with a break (4th game), the Croatian tennis aces took the lead with a score of 5: 2 with 40: 0. The Azzurri fended off a total of 5 set and match points in this game and came back to 3: 5. Immediately afterwards, however, the nervous Croatians converted the first set ball.
Fight for every ball
In the 2nd set, Sinner and Fognini fended off a breakball in the 3rd game. After both doubles played their service games, the two Croatians made the break to make it 4: 3. The Azzurri continued to fight for every ball, Sinner presented himself in good physical condition despite the short break. With their own serve they came up again to 4: 5 without losing points. Again and again they pulled the audience away. Mektic and Pavic left no doubt that they have this game largely under control. Confident, serene and worthy of their status as the world’s best duo, the two decided the game for themselves on their own serve with the first match point.
With the Azzurri, the first disappointment should soon give way to the certainty that there is still a lot to be done with this young team in the next few years. Above all, Jannik Sinner presented himself once again both mentally and physically strong. He did his homework by beating Marin Cilic. The sticking point was the defeat in the first duel between Lorenzo Sonego (ATP 27) against Borna Gojo. This came as a surprise and was not planned. With an overall result of 2: 1, Croatia made it into the Davis Cup semi-finals. This and the final will be held in Madrid at the beginning of December.
