Fabio Fognini is like a delicious red wine. Vintage 1987, with a strong and decisive character, which delights fans, but which can give unwanted effects to those who abuse it. He may look oxygenated, but its just his new look.
It is a spectacular Fabio, literally reborn, the one presented this week at the All England Club. The Italian tennis player has humbly decided to start again from the Challengers, to slowly resume his best form, to get competitive at important events and not just by simple appearance.
And in the match against Casper Ruud, in the second round of Wimbledon, we saw a deluxe version of the 37-year-old Italian. Fognini risked to close even in three partial, but a blackout in the third set, in which he served twice for the set, risked ruining the party.
No problem, the blue immediately resumed the thread of speech, continuing to express a tennis of the highest level and imposing himself with the score of 6-4 7-5 6-7(1) 6-3. A historic success that of the Italian on the current number eight in the world, which allows him to enter a very small elite club.
Thanks to the victory against Ruud in London, Fognini equaled 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in one particular statistic.
Fabio Fognini like Roger Federer
With the victory over the Norwegian tennis player, Fabio Fognini became, at 37 years and 40 days of age, the third player in the Open Era to beat a top-10 in a Grand Slam tournament.
Before him, only two other legends of the sport had succeeded: none other than Roger Federer and Ken Rosewall. An extraordinary result for the former number nine Atp ranking, arrived after a three-set victory in the first round against the French Luca Van Assche, 17 years younger.
In the third round Fognini will face another veteran of the circuit, Roberto Bautista Agut, who has eliminated Lorenzo Sonego. A wonderful opportunity for the Ligurian to return to the second week of a Slam after more than three years.
