The forgotten man of Italian tennis, Fabio Fognini, is back in the limelight, and it’s for all the right reasons. The 37-year-old defeated Lukas Neumayer, who is 15 years younger than him, to lift his first (and last) title of the year, at the ATP Challenger Montemar 2024.
Out of all the words Fognini could have chosen to use after lifting the trophy, the first ones to come out of his mouth were, “I’m tired.” The interviewer smiled and continued, “You’re 37, I’m 45 and sometimes I get tired,” before the Italian interrupted, pointing at his opponent and saying, “He’s 22,” leaving both of them laughing.
Jokes aside, it is understandable why he chose those words. It was a long season for Fognini, who continued to juggle between the ATP Tour and Challenger Tour. Still, it’s remarkable to see him challenging players mostly younger than him.
“Happy day. The most important thing, even if I wasn’t playing well, today I won the match, so I’m happy. That’s the sport, I’m still competing. I’m really thankful because I have the opportunity to play with this great guy, really fast they run, everywhere they play really good shots,” said Fognini after winning the final 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Fabio Fognini interview after winning Montemar Challenger: ‘I’m really thankful I can still compete with these younger guys’ https://t.co/oV227mHNGh via @YouTube
Fognini beat Austrian Lukas Neumayer 6-3 2-6 6-3 in the final.
“I’m tired…” Fognini began, before recognising…
— Talking Tennis (@TalkingTennisTT) November 24, 2024
The Italian seemed to be in good touch in the opening phase of the game before an unexpected interruption caused him to lose his “concentration.” It eventually cost his second set as well.
“I mean he stopped the match at 2-1 for the physio and after that, I lost my concentration a little bit. At the end of the second set, I was thinking, ‘Save some energy.’ The key was starting really well in the first three games of the third one, and at the end, we are happy and have to celebrate it,” added the former World No.9.
It comes as little surprise that Fognini’s win at the ATP Challenger Montemar has come on the clay. Dubbed as a ‘clay court specialist,’ the Italian’s latest triumph only proves that he still has what it takes to succeed on his favorite surface.
Fognini’s 8 out of 9 ATP Tour singles titles have come on clay
Known for his fiery temperament and frequently losing his cool on the court, Fognini can beat anyone on a given day, but he performs at his best on the red clay. His first title, some 11 years ago, came on the same surface – the 2013 Stuttgart Open.
Over the next five years, he won six more titles on his favorite surface. Fognini finally broke the jinx in 2018 when he won the Los Cabos Open in Mexico, which was on a hard court surface.
FORZA FABIO @fabiofogna is the 2019 @ROLEXMCMASTERS champion! pic.twitter.com/4CuIUW9EZY
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 21, 2019
It remains unclear how much of a boost this latest triumph in Montemar can offer him. One thing is certain, it allows Fognini, who won his last ATP Tour title at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters, to stay in the top 100 rankings (World No.90). This will be crucial for him at the start of the next season.
