"A wildcard for Berrettini? I've written a letter to the Wimbledon director" - FITP President Angelo Binaghi confident of securing Berrettini a spot in Wimbledon

Italian tennis is currently in a brilliant position, especially on the men's side. A whole plethora of talent have come through, led by Jannik Sinner, and is making their mark in tennis. That was also very much evident at Roland Garros with other Italians stepping up to the task. This pleased Angelo Binaghi a lot as he hopes for this success to continue long into the future.

An Italian did not win the French Open, which would come to a surprise with Sinner the overwhelming favourite to lift a maiden Grand Slam on clay. With no Carlos Alcaraz, he came in as the man to beat, and surprisingly was beaten in the second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo after collapsing in spectacular fashion on Court Philippe Chatrier.

While he faltered, other Italians took the spotlight. This is no more than Flavio Cobolli who seized the advantage and reached a maiden Grand Slam final. He would push the eventual champion Alexander Zverev all five sets but was unable to break new ground in fine fashion.

He was supposed to play Matteo Arnaldi in the semi-finals in what was supposed to be a historic clash. Coming into the tournament as the world number 104, Arnaldi made a surprising charge all the way to the last four with some titanic battles mixed in. However, illness caught up with him and he was forced to withdraw ahead of the match.

In the quarter-final, Matteo Berrettini's Grand Slam was also halted. He lost to Arnaldi after being forced to retire as his injury woes continue. It was his first Roland Garros campaign since he reached the last eight back in 2021 having been forced to skip the last four editions.

Cobolli, Arnaldi and Berrettini represented their country well with three Italians in the quarter-finals. That is made even more impressive with the fact that Sinner was not involved as well as clay specialist and recent Rome Open semi-finalist Luciano Darderi bowing out early. To add to that, former world number four and 2025 semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti was injured and forced to pull out as his 2026 campaign is yet to properly get up and running. This shows the strength in depth they have, and it has certainly pleased the FITP President Binaghi.

It could have been even better if Cobolli managed to pull off a huge result in the final. "Italy has never had three players in the quarterfinals at a Slam," he said. "It's a disappointment that in the fifth set, when we thought Cobolli might be the favourite, two cramps struck, which jeopardised the balance that could have seen our boy win."

He was still in belief that Sinner was a very deadly prospect on court with his Wimbledon crown set to be fought over in the coming weeks. "Sinner? With Sinner and his staff, the rule 'No good news, good news' applies," Binaghi commented. "He deserved a nice vacation in my Sardinia, he's the clear favourite at Wimbledon, there's a title to confirm, and we're the nation to beat."

Due to his ranking, former finalist Berrettini is not automatically in the main draw for the tournament. He will be hopeful that a wildcard can be offered, especially after his display in Paris. Binaghi was doing all he could to get him involved. "A wildcard for Berrettini? I've written a letter to the Wimbledon director, and we're confident that Matteo can play—as is right, given his latest results—directly into the main draw."

Wimbledon could again be another brilliant tournament for Italian tennis. It was last year with Sinner lifting the title after taking down reigning champion Alcaraz, while Cobolli broke new ground and reached the quarter-finals. The tournament will take place from June 29 - July 12 with all eyes on SW19 for the third Grand Slam in 2026.