Tennis has long been a big attraction in Italy. The country has produced Grand Slam winners in both the men’s and women’s side of the game even if they didn’t manage to excel too much on the men’s side lately. Italy had also some success in the team competitions. The country won the Davis Cup in 1976 but has been more successful in the Fed Cup, winning the title four times.
Who is Andrea Gaudenzi
The ATP has now appointed an Italian as its next CEO. Former player Andrea Gaudenzi will replace Chris Kermode at the helm of the tennis body. This will be the former English player’s final year after the board voted against renewing his contract beyond 2019. The board had been looking for a suitable successor to Kermode and has named Gaudenzi as the man for the job. The Italian will begin his four-year term in January.
The former Italian player won three ATP titles during his career. The 46-year-old has a law degree from the University of Bologna and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Bologna. Gaudenzi has accepted the appointment and says it will be an honor to serve as the CEO. He was a member of the ATP media board before his appointment. Novak Djokovic, the President of the player’s council, welcomed Gaudenzi’s appointment. He noted that the new CEO was fit for the role because he is a former player and he has been successful in business and administration.
The rise of Berrettini and Sinner
Italy is excelling also on court lately. Matteo Berrettini has been doing well on tour this year and recently reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters. The 23-year-old also achieved a career-high ranking of 11th in October and he will break in the top10 from next week. Another young Italian who has been making waves is Jannik Sinner. The 18-year-old is currently ranked 101st and he will break in the top100 next week. He is the youngest player in the top 300. He played at the US Open in September after qualifying as a wildcard. Jannik will compete in the Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan next month.
The finals in Milan and Turin
Italy has been hosting the Next Gen Finals from 2017 and will continue to host the event until 2021. This year, the country also won the rights to host the ATP Finals for five years starting from 2021. The finals will move from London to Turin after next year’s tournament.
Jannik Sinner’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.101 (career-high), Sinner played his last match on the 24th of October when he lost to Gael Monfils 6-3 7-68 in the 2nd round in Vienna.
This year the Italian has a 38-19 win-loss record. The Italian has won 2 titles in 2019 in the Bergamo Challenger and in the Lexington Challenger. Sinner was the finalist in the Ostrava Challenger.
Berrettini in Vienna, ranking, and results in 2019
Ranked no.11 (career-high), Berrettini has a 45-19 win-loss record in 2019. Matteo is currently having a run in Vienna where he ousted Kyle Edmund 3-6 6-3 6-4 and Grigor Dimitrov 7-65 7-61.
Matteo will square off with Rublev in the quarter. The head to head is 2-1 for Berrettini.
The last time that they played, Berrettini won 6-1 6-4 7-66 in the 4th round in Us open in 02nd September 2019.
The Italian clinched 3 titles in 2019 in the Phoenix Challenger, in Budapest and in Stuttgart. Matteo was the finalist in Munich.
Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini have never played each other.
