Now aged 36, Italian Fabio Fognini, former No. 9 and now 107th player in the world, withdrew before his round of 16 at the Challenger in Maia (Portugal). On Instagram, the Transalpine player was moved by his difficulties, which could prevent him from directly entering the big picture of the Australian Open.
The end of Fabio Fognini’s career is not going so well. The Italian, who reached his best ranking on July 15, 2019, with 9th place in the world and who is now 36 years old, now occupies 107th place in the world. At the end of the 2023 season, the Challenger circuit is in full swing, with valuable points to be won, with a view to the first major meeting of the year 2024, namely the Australian Open. This week, the Transalpine was on the Portuguese side, to compete in the Maia Challenger.
And it did not go very well for the main interested party, forced to withdraw this Thursday, before his round of 16 scheduled against the Frenchman Matteo Martineau, 293rd player in the world. The Italian’s first lap had already been very complicated, as he had been forced to seek treatment for his calf. This Portuguese event was particularly important for the winner of the Valencia Challenger in Spain last Sunday. From now on, Fabio Fognini will have to hope for numerous packages if he wishes to directly enter the main draw of the 2024 edition of the Australian Open.
Fognini: “It certainly wasn’t the ending I wanted”
A situation which particularly moved the winner of the 2019 edition of the Masters 1000 from Monte-Carlo to Monaco. The one who then never won an ATP title again spoke out, via a post published on his account Instagram official: “What bad luck! This was definitely not the ending I wanted and deserved! The goal was very close and the way I played gave me the impression that I was capable of achieving it! But you know, sport is like that… Sometimes it gives, sometimes it takes… Despite everything and despite everyone, I am extremely proud of the way I proved to myself that I overcame the difficult times by fighting, making sacrifices and loving this sport! I had to compromise with myself, and at my age and after the career I had, it wasn’t easy… No one can take away from me what I did with loyalty, transparency, sacrifice but above all honesty, which in my vocabulary is worth much more than a simple tennis match, whether won or lost! »
2023-12-02 10:25:00
