Matteo
Arnaldi was brought to tears in the arms of his girlfriend due to the emotion
of winning the
Davis Cup.
Italian
tennis is celebrating after securing its second Davis Cup title, 46 years
later. The Italian team, led by
Jannik Sinner, proved to be the best team in
the Davis Cup Finals and, in a heroic campaign, were crowned champions.
The team
included Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti,
Matteo Arnaldi, Lorenzo Sonego, and Simone
Bolleli, with captain Filippo Volandri. In the final, Matteo Arnaldi (world No.
44) overcame Alexei Popyrin (No. 40), who was in great form. The Italian took
the lead in the first set, but Popyrin recovered, taking it to the decisive set
where the young Arnaldi handled the pressure better and secured the victory
(7-5, 2-6, 6-4).
Arnaldi's
outstanding performance was crucial in the series, putting Italy in the lead,
and then Sinner secured the decisive point against Alex De Minaur to give the
title to the Europeans. After the series, Arnaldi ran to embrace his girlfriend
Mia Savio and cried in her arms.
The
22-year-old Italian dedicated the victory to his girlfriend's father, who
recently passed away:
“It’s very
emotional. More because a very important person passed away a month ago for me
and my girlfriend, so this is for him. She doesn’t know what it means for me.
And also, for the country, but it was very emotional to play this event for
me,” Arnaldi said.
“I think
now I won one of the most important matches in my life, so I don’t know what to
say right now,” he added.
Arnaldi
participated as the second singles player on the team. In the quarterfinals, he
lost a closely contested match to Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-7(7).
In the semifinals, Lorenzo Musetti took on the role of the second singles
player and also suffered a defeat. However, in the final, Volandri opted for
the young Arnaldi, and the strategy proved effective in the most important
match of his life.