"I'm happy that I won" - Fognini after win in Rome

Dominic Thiem produced some of his best tennis since his return to the ATP Tour from injury, but it was not enough to overcome home favourite Fabio Fognini at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Monday.

Fognini delighted the Rome Center Court crowd by gutting out a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over the Austrian, who was seeking his first victory since reaching the third round at the same event one year ago. Speaking after the match, Fognini said:

"Of course, I'm happy because I won. It's never easy playing against a great champion. Happy to be here and another chance to play in this great atmosphere."

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It was a physical match and sometimes in the match, Fognini was seen struggling a bit and asked about it, he said:

"It's always difficult, especially because now I'm 35. Physically, I'm quite OK. I feel good when I run. Of course, I need to do some things on my game, try to push the ball harder because conditions are really slow. But these kinds of conditions are tough for everybody."