The two brightest stars will be missing, but it is always a question between Italy and Spain. Even in the Davis Cup. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will not be there, but in the decisive match in Bologna the same flags that competed in the finals of the last three Slams and the ATP Finals will be protagonists.
Same flags, but different protagonists. On the one hand there are the Azzurri who dream of a consecutive trio, having flown directly to the decisive match of the tournament thanks to the performance of Flavio Cobolli, who yesterday in the second match of the semi-final against Belgium, fighting “with blood at the mouth”, beat the number 43 in the world, Zizou Bergs, sending home the team led by Steve Darcis. On the other hand, fresh from an equally hard-fought semi-final against Germany, there will be the Spaniards.
ANSA AgencyA surprise, in part, given that among the Germans there was the player on paper who was the strongest in the Davis Cup, the third-ranked player in the world, Alexander Zverev. But captain David Ferrer’s team managed to defeat their opponents in three matches, passing through the doubles of Granollers and Martinez, who beat the pair Krawietz and Puetz in three sets (6-2, 3-6 and 6-3). Even without their champion, Alcaraz, who however celebrated his teammates on social media, a few seconds after the victory, writing: “Let’s go, great men, Sunday fans for the Cup”. Anticipation and enthusiasm are growing around pavilion 37 of BolognaFiere.
With an audience of fans that has become increasingly numerous over the days, waiting for the team led by Filippo Volandri. Without too much difficulty, there will be a sold-out Super Tennis Arena. At the event, fans will respond to the call of the Azzurri who, even after the defections of Sinner and Musetti, seem to have what it takes to realize their dream: lifting the silver salad bowl for the third consecutive year. This is a feat that no one has achieved since 1972, when Stan Smith’s United States won five in a row. Wearing the national team shirts will be the boys of a team that Volandri has never hesitated to define as “united and strong”, even if at the moment, as he reiterated after the success against Belgium, “it’s difficult for everyone”, also because “in the finals the rankings don’t really matter, especially in the Davis Cup”.
Despite everything, on their side, there is the energy of Cobolli who, commenting yesterday on the victory against Bergs, admitted that he was “aware of the possibility of losing”, but that at that point he tried “to be courageous and as cool as possible”: having arrived “at a delicate point in the match – confessed the Roman player, 22nd in the ATP rankings – I called the public, because I needed energy and I thought they could give me a great hand”. And together with him, there is his friend from the days “of the Roman Aniene club”, Matteo Berrettini, six years older, but who, regardless of his age, remains “a brother” for Cobolli. A team of friends, first of all, who last night during the semi-final was followed on Rai 1 by 2.5 million people. And that today, to train, she enjoyed playing “football tennis” together. Awaiting the final match with Spain, with the objective remaining, in Volandri’s words, “to win the 2025 Davis Cup”.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
