Fabio Fognini has spoken out about his exclusion from Italy's ATP Davis Cup team, calling the decision 'disrespectful.'
Team Italy's captain Filippo Volandri announced the entrants for the Davis Cup on Thursday, September 7. The international event involves men's singles and doubles players working together as a team to represent their country.
Italy will be playing in the group stage in Bologna from September 12 to 17. The team will consist of three singles players - World No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti, World No. 39 Lorenzo Sonego, and World No. 61 Matteo Arnaldi, the latter of which had a surprise run to the fourth round of the US Open.
The World No. 41 and No. 43 in doubles - Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori - will also be present.
One notable absence - aside from World No. 6 Jannik Sinner and World No. 36 Matteo Berrettini - was the former World No. 9 Fognini, and the 36-year-old did not take kindly to his exclusion from the team.
"Wearing the blue, feeling the warmth of the public, competing in packed arenas with our fans in tow even on unthinkable away games has always encouraged me to give 110%.
"And although the away games were tough and the season was very long, with ranking goals to be achieved, I never had any doubts: playing for Italy is the most rewarding thing in the world for an athlete and especially for me," he wrote on social media.
Fognini, who is currently ranked at No. 128 in the world, also called out some parts of the press, who he said were claiming that he chose not to join the team.
"On the eve of Davis' umpteenth challenge, I find myself, in spite of myself, out of the squad. I read in some press organs that I would have decided and requested to take a step back, to rest and catch my breath. Fake and itchy!" he added.
He also added that his exclusion was unjustified and 'disrespectful.'
"On Monday, while I was in Genoa, the captain's call came to me: suddenly I no longer fit into the plans, without justifiable explanations and in ways that I didn't agree with, disrespectful of my history and my Italian past, because until lastly I was informed that I would be in the squad and available to take to the field and for this reason I decided to train and play the Challenger to the best of my strength to be ready and available," he continued.
English translation of Fabio Fognini’s statement
1/12 Sono passati molti anni dalla mia prima volta in azzurro a Montecatini, nel 2008. Difendere i colori azzurri e rappresentare il mio paese in giro per il mondo è sempre stata una priorità, un sogno realizzato.
