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Fabio Fognini - The Hope of Italy

179K views 904 replies 101 participants last post by  RU90 
#1 ·
This kid is just 17 and even though he may be far from the heights of Nadal, Monfils and Gasquet at such an age, Fognini is a real bright spot for Italian tennis.

Number 501 in the world you may think there is no big deal, but this year is his first main year and hes already won a futures event in SPain as well as being in the final of another in Italy. Now in the Olbia CHallenger event he is in the quarters beating Luzzi in round 2.

So With this result he will be in the top 500 for sure and will move up quite a few places. A few more succesful challengers and he should hopefully be recognised on the challneger tour!
 
#805 ·
some reading... :cool:

UNDERSTANDING FABIO

DEUCE

by Robert Davis | 24.05.2012

Fresh from his first ATP World Tour final, Fabio Fognini is showing all the right signs that he is on the right track.

With good looks and a certain swagger, Fabio Fognini comes across as confident - maybe even cocky at times. But those who know him best will tell you there's more to the Italian than meets the eye.

Fabio Fognini has just about everything an Italian man could hope for: good looks, new car, house by the Mediterranean Sea and a stunning model girlfriend. By all accounts he is living the dream. Everyone knows that in Italy looking good is just as important as being good. And for a long time Fabio Fognini looked great. From the day he first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of four, Fabio has impressed everyone who has ever seen him stroke a tennis ball.

Nobody ever said that it was going to be easy, and so the journey on the ATP World Tour for Fabio Fognini has been filled with just as many valleys as peaks. But last year, the Italian reached out to one of Spain’s most respected tennis coaches, Jose Perlas, for help. It did not take long for heads in the tennis industry to start nodding in the affirmative.


“If you don’t know Fabio very well, you want to strangle him”​


“It is very simple. Fabio went to Jose because he wants to improve,” says coach Claudio Pistolesi. “He knew that he had some holes in his game, and that he is obviously very far from his best. That is why he chose Jose.”

“It was not his talent that impressed me,” admits Perlas. “The ATP is full of mucho mucho talento. What impresses me about Fabio is how much he suffers for it. That is where my attraction to him as a tennis player begins and ends. I have known him for a long time, since he was with Oscar Serrano. After observing him, I realised that this boy really wants to be great.”

To the casual observer, the last thing Fabio Fognini appears to do on a tennis court is suffer.

Watch him hit a forehand during a third set tie-break. With little bend in the legs, minimal backswing and almost no shoulder or hip rotation, his forehand drive looks more like an annoyed swat than a stroke under pressure. Whether it goes in, out or under the net, Fognini looks as if he would just as rather be relaxing on the beach.


If only his father could be so lucky.​


“There are times I cannot watch my son when he is on the tennis court,” says Fabio’s father, Fulvio Fognini. “One second he is up. One second he is down. You cannot imagine what I go through when Fabio plays tennis.”

“The most important thing in Fabio’s life is his father,” says coach Ricardo Piatti. “His father put so much of his energy into Fabio. He loves Fabio so much and he loves tennis. He is a traditional Italian father, very emotional. And that Fabio is doing well on the ATP makes him very proud.”

Quite possibly, Fabio Fognini has the slowest walk known to man.
“If you don’t know Fabio very well, you want to strangle him,” laughs Pistolesi. “But I know him very well and I guarantee you he is a great person. Very sincere and kindhearted. What some people might call an attitude is actually coming from his shyness. And the walk. Well, that is very Italian. At least it has style.”

For someone who moves so slow between points, Fognini is awfully quick during the point.

“He reads the game like a book,” says Perlas. “His anticipation of where the ball is going next is something special. He does not have to be always on the run. When it is time to run he is very explosive.”


“What some people might call an attitude is actually coming from his shyness”​


The challenge for the 24-year-old Italian has never been getting to the ball or even hitting the ball, it has been about managing the momentum of the match. That is one of the primary reasons that Fognini went to Perlas.

At the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Fognini sits down with DEUCE to talk about his recent history at Roland Garros and what Coach Perlas brings to the table. With thick dark eyebrows, high cheekbones and a hard cut chin framed by a neatly trimmed, jet black goatee Fabio Fognini could easily pass for a leading actor in a Sergio Leone film.

That the 2010 second round match became a drama at all was a shock. Gael Monfils was in cruise control on Court Phillip Chartrier, leading Fognini by two sets to none and up a break at 4-1. When the match was eventually halted at 5-5 in the fifth because of darkness, it seemed as if all those watching were witnesses to some kind of surreal gladiatorial battle.

When they returned the next day, the tension had dropped just slightly, but if you listened closely enough you could almost hear the theme song from 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' when Fognini entered the court.

“This match was just incredible,” recalls Fognini. “I don’t know how I won. What can I say?”

Fognini attempts a smile. It is not a proud smile, but more of an apologetic smile. He lowers his head and waits for the next question.

I ask him about the following year’s fourth round match versus Albert Montanes in which he saved two match points in the fifth set and played the final five games with a leg injury.

“I really don’t have any answers,” Fognini says. “Except, maybe I made some forehand winners on a couple of big points.”

That is certainly an understatement. Spend some time getting to know Fabio Fognini and the phrase paradigm shift might come to mind.

“It is easy to confuse him,” says Perlas. “He is not so confident with people he does not know very well. He can get a little paralysed. But if he is comfortable with you he is very funny and loves to joke. He is very kind to people.”

“Fabio is a kind boy,” says the elder Fognini. “But yes, I admit that a person might not think so if they do not know him. He is very timid.”

When I ask him about the coaching change to Perlas, Fognini livens up, a big smile spreads across his face. Fognini is happy to talk about someone other than himself.


“What impresses me about Fabio is how much he suffers for it”​


“I am lucky to have Jose,” says Fognini. “I am trying my best to learn all that he can teach me. Jose brings so much experience with great players. He is the best one who can help me raise my level. If he gives me the game plan, I feel that I have the game to execute his tactics. I trust him.”

When asked the question, “Has tennis given you more or have you given tennis more?” he takes a minute to think it over.

“Until two or three years ago, I would say that tennis had given me more,” Fognini replies. “But the last couple of years, I feel like I have tried to give my best to tennis. The results were not coming so much, but maybe that is what I must accept. Let us say that there were times in the past when I gave 100 per cent on the court, but I was not 100 per cent focused on tennis off the court.”


“People always talk about talented tennis players,” says Perlas. “But you have to combine talent not just with hard work, but with high quality of work. The level of tennis at the top is very high. It takes a lot of self-motivation from the player on and off the court. Fabio does want to be a great player. He may not look like it and people might not think so, but I read it in him. And it is crystal clear.”​


:angel:
 
#808 ·
MERCEDESCUP 2013

FOGNINI HOLDS NERVE FOR STUTTGART TITLE

Stuttgart, Germany

by ATP Staff | 14.07.2013

Fabio Fognini in front of his white Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, 'Edition 1' car.

Fabio Fognini became the sixth first-time ATP World Tour titlist of the season on Sunday.

Fifth seed Fognini denied second seed Philipp Kohlschreiber his fifth crown with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the MercedesCup final.

Fognini was presented €74,000 in prize money, 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points and a brand new white Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, ‘Edition 1’ car.
"Finally, after two finals, I have won," Fognini told ATPWorldTour.com. "I played great, great tennis this week. I am really happy to have won the final."

Fognini is the second Italian to reach the final in Stuttgart after Andrea Gaudenzi was runner-up in 1994 (l. to Berasategui). He is now 1-2 in ATP World Tour title matches.

In a tense first set, which saw five service breaks, Kohlschreiber kept his nerve to edge ahead. He broke serve for the third time in the 12th game to seal the 47-minute opener.

Fognini bounced back immediately, converting his third break point opportunity in the first game of the second set. He failed to convert one set point at 5-3, when Kohlschreiber was serving at 30/40. But minutes later, the 26 year old sent the pair’s third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting to a decider.

Kohlschreiber saved two break points in the first game, but was broken to 15 at 1-1. Fognini extended the advantage and, despite slipping to 15/30 when he served for the championship at 5-4, held on to win in two hours and seven minutes.

"I was focused on my game and I think I felt fresh physically," added Fognini. "He played an incredible game when I was 4-1 up [in the third set], with a double-break. So the tension increased, but then I got some luck. I just thought about my serve and playing solid. This gives me a lot of confidence. I will never forget my first title. It would be great to play on hard courts like this.”










Fabio Fognini rallies to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, wins Mercedes Cup for 1st ATP title



:drive:
 
#812 ·
MERCEDES CUP 2013

FIRST TIME WINNER SPOTLIGHT: FABIO FOGNINI

Stuttgart, Germany

by ATP Staff | 14.07.2013

Fabio Fognini captured his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Mercedes Cup with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over second seed Philipp Kohlschreiber. He now has a 1-2 record in finals.

The 26-year-old Fognini joined Carlos Berlocq, who also won his first ATP World Tour title at the SkiStar Swedish Open. Read Berlocq Spotlight Feature
ATPWorldTour.com caught up with World No. 31 Fognini prior to departure for next week's bet-at-home Open - Germany Tennis Championships 2013 in Hamburg.

How does it feel to be standing here with the trophy and taking home the Mercedes while becoming the first Italian to win the title?
I am happy to have won my first title. It was a really good week. Amazing!

You didn’t lose a set en route to the final and you beat the No. 1 [Tommy Haas] and No. 2 [Kohlschreiber] seeds. How did you put it all together?
It is always difficult to play in Germany against Haas, who has been in the Top 10, and also Kohlschreiber, who I have always lost to. Today and during the week, my tennis worked well.

What did you do well during the week to win five matches for the first time in an ATP World Tour tournament?
I was more relaxed. I tried to enjoy every point, game and match. Mentally, I was really, really strong. I think that was the key to the week.

It was your third ATP World Tour final. Do you feel like the third time was the charm?
Probably. I don’t know. I was feeling amazing every day and my confidence grew as the week went on.

Did you approach this final differently than you did in the other two?
I have to be honest that I slept only three hours last night. My worst night of the week.

Is clay your best surface and what is your strength?
I think it is my best surface. I was born in Italy and trained in Spain. I played my first final indoors. My next goal is to play another final indoors or on a hard court and try to win.

With yourself and Andreas [Seppi] in the Top 25 earlier this season, what is the overall state of Italian tennis?
We have two Top 30 players, so it is a nice feeling for Italian tennis. Andreas and I are friends off the court, so I wish him the best of luck.

You’ve finished in the Top 50 the past two years; do you have a ranking goal for this year?
No. I think my goal was to stay focused on my physically and mental conditioning. I would like to stay in the Top 30, but importantly improve my game, especially on hard courts.

You’re had a lot of different people help you during your career. Is there anyone who you would like to thank for their support?
My family is my greatest supporters. My father, mother, sister and now my girlfriend, thanks for everyone. Thanks to my coach [Jose Perlas] and physio, who have worked hard with me over the past two years.

When you were younger growing up, did you have any one as a role model?
Carlos Moya was my idol. When I played him for the first time [at 2006 Buenos Aires] it was really exciting. I had the opportunity to beat him as well in Umag [2008]. Of course my coach also coached him.




:angel:​
 
#821 ·



BET-AT-HOME OPEN - GERMAN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013

Fognini Saves 3 M.P. In Hamburg For Second Title In As Many Weeks :worship:

Hamburg, Germany

by ATP Staff | 21.07.2013

Fabio Fognini won his second ATP World Tour title in as many weeks on Sunday.

Second seed Fognini saved three match points in the second set tie-break to beat qualifier Federico Delbonis 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-2 in the bet-at-home Open-German Tennis Championships final.

"It's an amazing week," said Fognini. "I can't believe it right now. I just feel incredible, a real good sensation. I'm very happy.

"I was, I think, a little bit lucky. I was nervous. Today, I didn't play really good, but I fought hard. I think that was the key. Another trophy, that’s the important thing. I want to enjoy [this] as soon as possible. I fly to Umag tomorrow and have another chance to play."

Fognini received €251,200 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Ranking points. Seven days ago, he captured the MercedesCup trophy in Stuttgart (d. Kohlschreiber).

Delbonis proved nerveless in the early stages of his first ATP World Tour final. He saved all five break points he faced, before he converted his first opportunity in the 10th game to clinch the 49-minute opener.

In-form Fognini broke serve in the first game of the second set. Delbonis, 22, responded by winning four straight games to take a 4-1 lead.

As Roger Federer’s conqueror moved closer to victory, nerves set in and Fognini got back to 4-4. In a tense tie-break that went with serve to 5-5, Delbonis squandered three match points at 6-5, 7-6 and 8-7. Arguably his best opportunity to win had come at 6-5, when Delbonis served out wide only miss a volley at the net.

"I tried to do my best on the match points," said Delbonis. "I don't know if I played bad. I tried to do the best on the three points. But Fabio also played well on these points."

Fognini grew in confidence and could have taken a 4-0 lead in the decider. The World No. 25 served for his 30th match win of the season at 5-1, but Delbonis broke serve to 30. Fognini broke serve for the fifth time to complete victory in two hours and 28 minutes.

Delbonis, currently No. 114 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was attempting to become the seventh first-time winner on the ATP World Tour in 2013. He earned €114,510 and 300 Emirates ATP Ranking points.

He saved two match points to beat No. 14 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 6-4 in the quarter-finals on Friday. The last qualifier to win the Hamburg title was Albert Portas in 2001 (d. Ferrero).

"To lose the final with match points is disappointing," said Delbonis. "But at the end of the week, the result of all the week is positive or me. It's my first final. I beat Roger [Federer] yesterday [in the semi-finals]."


Source: ATP World Tour website


:cool:
 
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