Italy beat Argentina 2-1 in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, thanks in large part to the performances of Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini, who won the decisive doubles title after Lorenzo Musetti lost his opening singles match. It was then the ATP No.1 who brought the tie back to parity. Italy is now in the Davis Cup semifinals and will face Australia on Saturday in Malaga, in what will be a rematch of last year's final.
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Shortly after the doubles match, Jannik and Matteo were interviewed by Sky Sport. Berrettini said that when there is understanding off the court, it is easier to find it on the court.
"Sinner plays very well. I gave everything for him who has played so many matches this year. I would have given everything to play singles doubles and also mixed," said Berrettini
Jannik added: "In singles it took me a while to get used to the court. After the singles we talked a bit about how to play doubles and we decided on this pairing today. Matteo played incredibly, he is a certainty, I am not a doubles player but when he serves like that for those who play at the net it is easier. We are good friends off the court and so in very delicate situations he helped us."
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Berrettini explained how the last thing they said to each other before starting the match was to have fun together regardless of tactical schemes. And that was the same key he had found last year with Lorenzo Sonego. Sinner added how they train to play matches of this type with a lot of tension and with a lot to lose.
Captain Filippo Volandri explained how the decision to court Berrettini and Sinner in doubles was reached, analyzing that it was an idea we had discussed the night before.
"After Jannik's singles match, we got together and decided to go with this formation. We took risks but I also thank Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori who gave important indications knowing the opponents. We are an extremely united group. We have taken a first small step and there are others," said the former Italian player.
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It was also the value of friendship, in addition to that of the talent of the protagonists who took to the court, that allowed Italy to reach the semifinals. Sinner and Berrettini immediately found the necessary chemistry to face with the right spirit a doubles match of immense value against Argentina. Without feeling the pressure and always showing courage in clutch moments, the two Italians managed to beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni and win the decisive point in a challenge that had become complicated after the defeat suffered by Musetti.
For the semifinal, captain Volandri will have to carefully evaluate who to field as the first singles player to avoid the risk of dragging the match to the doubles. The Australians can in fact count on Jordan Thompson and Matthew Ebden.
Both Sinner and Berrettini underlined the importance of their friendship.
"We see things in a fairly similar way. We talked a lot about how to handle certain situations, where to shoot and what to do. We are quite close. The only thing different is the path we took to get to the top, but in the end we get along well. We had already talked about a possible doubles here. We don't have a different vision, that's why our friendship is natural. He is a little more adult, maybe old! It's a beautiful friendship," explained Jannik.
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Berrettini added how he and his young countryman see things in a profound way. Adding that they are two deep guys and are not superficial when they do things, even if they have a different background.
"That's the big difference, but we are two guys who love what they do and who have fought their difficult moments and managed to get out of them. We have a great passion for this sport and I think that's the most important thing. I take inspiration from his journey: everything he's doing with the desire to always improve. It's something I'm trying to do too. It's really a pleasure to share time with him," analyzed Matteo.
Berrettini, after the troubles of the last two seasons, found a bit more continuity in 2024, winning three titles: Grand Prix Hassan II of Marrakech, the Swiss Open Gstaad and the Austrian Open of Kitzbuhel.
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Sinner instead played an amazing 2024, winning two Majors - Australian Open and US Open - the Miami Open, the Cincinnati Open, the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the ATP Finals. In total he won 8 titles, becoming the new ATP No.1 of the men's word ranking. He lost only 6 matches in 2024 (3 of which against Carlos Alcaraz, out of 3 as many H2H played in the season against the Spaniard). At the same time, Jannik is dealing with the controversial doping-matter that emerged in August and regarding the positivity to Clostebol found in Indian Wells. As we know, WADA has asked - after appeal to the CAS - a disqualification between 1-2 years.
