Born in San Remo on May 24, 1987, he competed in the legendary Buenos Aires tournament for the first time in 2006. That debut was with a loss against former Spanish number 1 Carlos Moya, champion of that edition (he won three times at La Catedral). Over time he accumulated better results and reached the final in 2014. The “Tano”, as he is constantly referred to, speaks, makes gestures and puts an argent stamp on everything.
“Yes, I think this is the most Italian country of all. Many Argentines have an Italian passport, an Italian name, they get along well, the culture is a bit the same. We are quite similar”Fognini is identified in dialogue with Ambit in the centenary club of Palermo.
A point that also brings him closer to these lands is his passion for soccer. fan of Inter, every time he returns to his country he tries to go to Giuseppe Meazza. There he celebrates the goals of Lautaro Martinezimmortalized on December 18, 2022 at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
“If I pay attention to Inter while I play? No, when I play I can’t. I would have liked to be in Portugal to see him against Porto for the Champions League”he clarifies, and launches an unexpected phrase, almost a confession of his present, about to turn 36: “This is a very long tour. I am very excited to play tennis well, something that I have been missing in recent years”.
Fognini has no filters. He has no problem assuming his happiness, his anger (some outbursts of anger are well remembered), his disappointment or his reluctance. In the words of Franco Davin, his coach between 2016 and 2019, “Fabio, first of all, is a great person. I really enjoyed it because we put together a very good team. He is a person who has sensitivity, who needs that”recalled the coach in front of this medium.
The former coach of Juan Martín Del Potro, Guillermo Coria and Gastón Gaudio also revealed that the Italian “The games started badly. I noticed it when seeing it on our platform. It was something psychological, and I told him that it wasn’t playing well or badly, but that he was leaving the locker room like that”. “He is very open, very honest, very similar to Gastón in that sense. And today, the honesty of both the coach and the player makes him improve very quickly ”Davin pointed out.
Without mentioning the author of these phrases, the now number 66 in the world immediately recognized who it was. “We achieved the best period of my career, because I opted for a change, for new things to take that small step that we achieved with Franco”evokes, always grateful to the former player from Pehuajó.
During that period, in July 2019, Fognini reached No. 9, his best ATP ranking. Weeks before he had conquered the Monte Carlo M1000 trophy with victories over Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev. The reminiscences of him are indelible.
“It was a very beautiful time, with beautiful memories, I reached the apex of my career. We have a very good relationship. As I always said, beyond being a great coach, because he achieved very good results with everyone he was with, as a person he is an 11, always well disposed, ”says the veteran of a thousand battles.
The experience gives Fognini a different approach. He assures that he “helps for other types of things” when facing players who are 15 years younger than him. “Winning is very important and more so with today’s tennis players. Everything matched up. It’s doubly good, because I see that I can compete but at the same time I see how many things I’ve done in these years “he reveals with a smile.
On his last visit, for the 2022 edition of the Argentina Open, Fognini was the protagonist of a fun press conference in which he spoke about Juan Martín Del Potro, avoided giving his preference over Boca or River and in which he shot: “When I retire I’m not going to watch tennis, I don’t like how it’s played now”.
Why doesn’t one of the most talented players of recent years like modern tennis, loaded with explosiveness, speed and physical resources? “I’m from another era, so I see things differently from these guys, who arrive, think and play differently”asserts the champion of nine ATP titles in singles and who said goodbye to the Argentina Open 2023 after falling in two sets against the Serbian Laslo Djere in his debut, a match in which he suffered a fall and subsequent injury to his left ankle.
“In life and in sport there are changes and you have to accept them and adapt to new challenges. After the pandemic I had surgery on my ankles and for me it was a new career, on a physical level and also to play with these rivals, who have a different mentality and a different style of play, ”she details. Therefore, he says goodbye with a promise: “I myself notice that it is costing me, I have to be honest. But I’m still looking.”. The most Argentine tano leaves before losing the transport.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
