Flavio Cobolli, with his arms folded, makes Bologna tremble: he, the same one who did it against a Belgian two nights ago and saved him in the end, once again stands out as an author in the midst of sweat. Your signature will remain. Who would have thought, but today’s Davis Cup works like this, more favorable to day workers than numbers. It was the The Spain of the People against the B unit from Italy, a point in common, and in those the reaction of the Florentine boy to the energetic Jaume Munar prevailed, imposing itself to the point of making him momentarily return to another damned reality. The game got dirty. Bad timing. 1-6, 7-6(5) and 7-5, in 2h 56min. Previously, Pablo Carreño had fallen to Matteo Berrettini 6-3 and 6-4 (in 1h 17min). Italy, therefore, celebrates it as sample.
Beyond Saudi petrodollars, today’s tennis moves under the dictates of the transalpine country, winner of the last three editions and epicenter in results: boys and girls, it doesn’t matter. Reverberates the The Song of the Italians. Bigger challenge this time, without the guidance of Jannik Sinner. And the same circumstance for this Spain in the blue tracksuit, rolled up and deprived of Carlos Alcaraz, equally competitive. Good for her too. David Ferrer’s team excelled from start to finish, from February to November, but in the last episode the current hierarchy of the Italians had its weight, now with four Saladeras, one less than the Spaniards. She is quirky, the story is about a hero who is 23 years old and 22nd in the world, even though he is still in training. First tremors, then ecstasy.
If faces speak, Cobolli said so right from the start, anguished and muscularly rigid. Quite the opposite of Munar, a disorganized tennis player who today is difficult to match in terms of optimism. He plays in the Balearics (or so he says) as if he had won the lottery and overcome challenges, and the confidence is reflected in that momentum and in those full-throttle races down the track, one after the other, tirelessly. Motorized. One took nearly an hour to get into play, while the other took the reins and dove into the rhythm. An impeccable first set. More and more suffering for Cobolli, still green, even if the alarm has finally gone off. Balance has arrived.
“Come on, boy!“And then he reacted, finally,” his parents said, haranguing him from the side and thanking him for waking up. Suddenly, another story; from one to the other, the Spaniard without lowering the piston and the Italian in harmony. Opposite the cadence, the productive effect of the inverted forehand. And a wall. playoffhe hit the seventh ball and emotionally, the duel took a turn. Munar remained, but the other grew up. Danger. And the slip happened. Fog with 5-5 and another unexpected signature from the hero.
A “Davis man”
Previously, Carreño had come across that Berrettini refined, elegant and delicate when it came to cutting and variable heights. It’s not easy to move those 95 kilos with such grace, nor is that backhand performance or the firmness of that serve. The door was closed tightly. Seeing the Italian move makes one think of immediate intervention what it would have beenbut injuries anchored themselves firmly in his path and everything went wrong. As said many times. Wimbledon finalist in 2021 and close to the top then, ankle and shoulder stopped a wonderful projection. Yet his category allows him toasts like this one in Bologna and he enjoys himself: here’s happiness. Salvation Council.
In the absence of individual glory, Davis as a source of joy. There are 11 consecutive victories, the last of which is very sweet to savor at home. The chords of the Italian anthem and the song a cappella The Romans have multiplied, at ease in a habitat of double reading, according to personalities: he shoots some, consumes others. The metal structure of the stands vibrated. In his case, without any trace of pressure, indeed. Ali from the start and a lot of determination. “Berre-Berre!” 13 aces83% before. Ma-te-o!” The crowd was on fire and in front Carreño was losing the spark of the previous day against Jan-Lennard Struff. At no point did the Asturian give the feeling of being able to sink his teeth.
Subtract and balls inside, to tangle. This was the plan. But the Italian (29 years old and 56th in the world) behaves like a fish in water in a competition for brave souls. He has Berrettini’s personality and likes to navigate rough waters, without forgetting that arm that hammers from above and that ball that flies deep. Read the speeches carefully. Without being able to enter the court, the Spaniard was unable to find the opening and once he served, in the seventh game, he remained immersed in the error for a while. He ran away, but when he wanted to make up for lost ground, the place was already celebrating. Berrettini is undeniable: 12 victories in 14 individual races. Maybe this is your place.
Today also that of Italy, the absolute ruler of the moment. It continues to extend its arms and tentacles, recognizing at the same time the more than meritorious path completed by Ferrer’s team, stubborn and convinced, demanding and vigorous. He tried until the end, with faith, without skimping. In times of binomial and cult of individualism, Alcaraz-Sinner and Sinner-Alcaraz, their path is well worth the praise of the secondaries. Refreshing airs as the culmination of the season. Nobody was counting on them, but they were close. A true dream until the current great power intervened, winning in Bologna. Italy, three times Italy.
