Italy has retained the Davis Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in Malaga, Spain.
Matteo Berrettini laid the foundations with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Botic Van de Zandschulp, earlier than Jannik Sinner defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(2), 6-2.
“We’re very completely satisfied to be again right here holding this trophy. It seems like being in Italy,” Sinner advised the BBC on court docket in the course of the celebrations.
With world No. 1 Sinner extensively anticipated to beat Griekspoor, it had been all the way down to van de Zandschulp — who beat Rafael Nadal within the final match of the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s profession Tuesday — to win the primary rubber within the hope of establishing a deciding doubles tie.
As a substitute, Berrettini used his prodigious serve and forehand to brush apart the Dutchman, reminding the world that he’s a former world No. 6 and Wimbledon finalist after a torrid couple of years with accidents and sickness. He has a 6-0 report at this yr’s Davis Cup, with 5 singles victories and one in doubles, teaming up with Sinner to win the quarterfinal decider towards Argentina earlier this week.
“My stage by no means actually left, it was extra when you find yourself struggling bodily and mentally, it’s not simple to play your greatest tennis,” the present world No. 35 mentioned on court docket after his victory.
Matteo Berrettini’s hammered forehand received him a number of key factors towards Botic Van de Zandschulp. (Matt McNulty / Getty Photographs for ITF)
Sinner went into his match towards world No. 40 Griekspoor with a 5-0 head-to-head benefit, regardless of dropping the primary set of their two earlier conferences. Griekspoor put Sinner below heavy strain early on, seizing on a number of second serves, however the Italian’s sensible protection helped him escape.
After buying and selling eleven service video games, Griekspoor kissed what ought to have been a simple putaway slice off the highest of the online to go 30-30 when it ought to have been 40-15. As a substitute of folding, a courageous serve-and-volley transfer and an ace took him to a tiebreak, simply as he had managed towards Carlos Alcaraz earlier within the week.
Additionally as towards Alcaraz, Griekspoor pale in that tiebreak with two poor backhand errors and the match pale with him.
Regardless of a burst of power at 1-2 down, throughout which Griekspoor hit two beautiful passing pictures and a ridiculous pick-up volley to interrupt Sinner’s serve and transfer 30-0 up within the following recreation, Sinner eased by way of the second set. He turned the second males’s participant within the Open Period to report zero straight-sets defeats in a season since Roger Federer in 2005 by beating the Dutchman in two units.
Italy is the primary nation to retain the Davis Cup since 2013, when the Czech Republic received it for the second yr in a row. It now holds each worldwide staff tennis trophies, after a Jasmine Paolini-inspired staff beat Slovakia 2-0 to win the Billie Jean King Cup Wednesday evening. Italy has additionally secured a five-year deal to carry the ATP Tour Finals till 2030, with Turin to host in 2025; town is in competition for 2026-30 however is predicted to face competitors from Milan.
“If it weren’t essential I might not be right here,” Sinner mentioned of the worldwide competitions.
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The ATP Tour now joins the WTA Tour within the tennis low season till the top of December.
The ATP Subsequent Gen Finals, for the very best eight gamers on this planet below 21, begins December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; the primary ATP Tour occasion of 2025 is the 250-level Brisbane Worldwide, which begins 29 December in Australia. The WTA Tour occasion, which is 500-level, begins the identical day.
(Prime picture: Jorge Guerrero / AFP by way of Getty Photographs)