Fabio Fognini was the Italian number one for several years, leading the way for his country on the world’s stage.
Italian tennis is in as good a place as ever, as the nation prepares to welcome back Jannik Sinner, who will return from suspension in Rome.
Sinner isn’t the only Italian star ranked in the top ten, with Lorenzo Musetti reaching a career-high rank of ninth following his run to the last four of the Madrid Open.
However, before Sinner and Musetti rose to the top, it was Fognini flying the flag for Italy, producing several stand-out performances on clay.
The world number 107 is set to retire from tennis at some point in 2025 and has just played his final match at the Italian Open.
Speaking after Fognini’s defeat to Jacob Fearnley, one ATP Tour legend revealed what the 37-year-old was really like behind the scenes.
Andy Roddick says Fabio Fognini had ‘a lot of disagreements’ with other players on the ATP Tour
On the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick gave his verdict on Fognini.
“He was the last guy I beat,” said Roddick.
“It’s funny, you have some people who how they are on court does not really tell the entire story.
“I do not know if I ever saw a bad moment with Fabio [Fognini] when he wasn’t between the lines
“He had a lot of disagreements with a lot of players. We both got along famously.
“We both had a little edge to us when we played.”
Roddick beat Fognini in both of their two ATP Tour meetings, the last of which was the American’s final victory before retiring at Flushing Meadows 13 years ago.
- 2012 US Open (3R) – Andy Roddick beat Fabio Fognini, 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4
- 2012 Eastbourne (QF) – Andy Roddick beat Fabio Fognini, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
The former world number one went on to explain how well the pair got on off the court.
“Off the court, easy to talk to, always up for a joke, willing to laugh at himself if he had done something crazy a couple of days earlier,” said Roddick.
“He was always in on the joke with himself. I always really got along and had a lot of respect for Fognini.”
Fabio Fognini’s finest moment: The 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters
Prior to 2019, Fognini had won eight tour-level titles, (seven ATP 250s), (one ATP 500).
| Title | Tier | Surface | Final opponent | Score |
| 2018 – Los Cabos Open | ATP 250 | Hard | Juan Martin del Potro | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2018 – Swedish Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Richard Gasquet | 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 |
| 2018 – Brasil Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Nicolas Jarry | 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2017 – Swiss Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Yannick Hanfmann | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2016 – Croatia Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Andrej Martin | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2014 – Chile Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Leonardo Mayer | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2013 – German Open | ATP 500 | Clay | Federico Delbonis | 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2013 – Stuttgart Open | ATP 250 | Clay | Philipp Kohlschreiber | 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
Using all of his clay court experience, Fognini broke through at the Masters 1000 level six years ago, to win title number nine.
Traveling to the principality as the 13th seed, everything fell into place as the Italian stormed into the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
- 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters 1R – Fabio Fognini beat Andrey Rublev, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
- 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters 2R – Fabio Fognini advanced via walkover
- 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters 3R – Fabio Fognini beat Alexander Zverev, 7-6, 6-1
- 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters QF – Fabio Fognini beat Borna Coric, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, and Borna Coric were all no match for Fognini as he booked his place in the last four, where he faced off against the tournament’s greatest ever player, and three-time defending champion.
When Fognini took to the court against Rafael Nadal he did so against an 11-time champion and someone who hadn’t lost in Monaco for 1,463 days.
Never one to shy away from the big occasion, Fognini produced arguably the greatest performance of his tennis career.
Dismantling the Spaniard in straight sets, Fognini shocked the tennis world by qualifying for his first Masters 1000 final.
In one of the most unlikely finals in recent memory, Fognini came face to face with unseeded Serb, Dusan Lajovic, who himself had shocked both Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev in Monte-Carlo.
Producing another vintage display, Fognini won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to lift his one and only Masters 1000 title.
The 37-year-old hasn’t returned to an ATP final since, but will never forget what happened six years ago at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
After losing his opening match in Rome, Fognini is next scheduled to appear at a Challenger Tour event in Turin, Italy, which begins on May 12.
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