It was indescribable. It's our third win, and every one is different. This one, probably from the point of view of joy and beauty (we were playing at home), was truly an explosion of joy. The first one was certainly historic, because we hadn't won in so many years. But this one, with a group of very close-knit guys, all friends, was beautiful.

Pierpaolo “Jambo” Melis from Cagliari, now a historic stringer for the Italian national tennis team , commented on the third consecutive Davis Cup won by the Azzurri on Sunday.
"We weren't the favorites," Jambo explains, "because we didn't field our top three (Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, and Luciano Darderi). The team was good, but there were teams that were stronger on paper. It was a great joy to come together and unite. The secret was the locker room . Germany, for example, was very strong and had the world number 3, but it seemed a bit frayed. Zverev is a charismatic figure, but a bit of a loner. Instead, we pulled together, with everyone: staff, technicians, coaches, and player trainers. The real strength was precisely the unity and the bench, which seemed decidedly more close-knit than the others."
Pierpaolo "reads" the two Italian singles players: "Matteo Berettini, a charismatic and experienced leader, has also instilled so much energy and confidence in the others, starting with Flavio Cobolli, since they've known each other since childhood. Perhaps seeing them win together is the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced from this week. The beauty of this victory is that it was shared with all the players' families and friends, all here with important values. Cobolli, another key player, is stratospheric. A player of such humility... and he doesn't give up a point. He's attached to the jersey and gives his all. He reminds me of Fabio Fognini in his desire and the way he "fires up" the crowd. The group made the difference."
Jambo Melis also explains his role within the Italian team: “I'm always available to the players; I've known them for a long time. I take care of their rackets, a very delicate role. You have to gain their trust, their minds , with what you do professionally and with the passion I've always had. Entering the court with a tool that gives you confidence on the court is crucial. This time, it took us an extra day to find the right setup, between tension and court speed. The balls were unusual: very fast at the start, but after a few rallies, they tended to open up and become very slow. Finding the right tension was a bit more complicated. Flavio and I were always unsure about the strategy. I took it upon myself to advise him, since he liked the taut racket, but once it was made, it needed to be adjusted: we made the rackets 24 hours before the match and found the right feeling with incredible playing sensations. In fact, that's why he complimented me.”
And Cobolli himself played the most intense matches: "There have been few matches like the one between him and Bergs. In Davis Cup, such a sensational match had never been seen, from Heaven to Hell and back again. And if there's one image I'll take with me from this Davis Cup, it's Flavio tearing his shirt off at the end of the match, a gladiator's gesture, a great athlete devoted to the blue jersey."
All tennis players are very superstitious, they have routines, from warming up to the music, always the same, to putting on the overgrip right before the match... and Melis also admits to being superstitious: "The first day I arrive at the gym and set up the stringing machine, when I start working, only on the first day, I put on my headphones and listen to my 'old' playlist, only '70s Italian music. I've had this routine for ten years now. Then maybe on other days, when I have to rush, I have less time."
And after the victory, the Italian celebrations began: "Of the three Davis Cups, this was the best. After the locker room party, we all went to a club in downtown Bologna. It was also nice to see Vavassori's father, Cobolli's father, Berrettini's brother... in short, a great group, singing our songs and having fun together."
Jambo began working with the national team in 2014, and it feels like a different era. But did he expect these results to come? “The hope of achieving all this, no. It was a dream, but honestly, I didn't expect it. I made my debut when Italy was fighting against relegation and had a super Fognini, with decent players and great people, like Seppi and Lorenzi, but we didn't have a great team. We were a big family there too, a little smaller, now it's expanded and there are many more of us. But I didn't expect three Davis Cups, just as I didn't expect an Italian world number 1, but all this drives the whole movement.”
And after the victory, it's back to everyday life. "Now we return to Sardinia and work at my office with great enthusiasm and truly infinite joy and emotion," explains Melis, who, looking at the island's "movement," doesn't hide: "I imagine it'll be exciting to see a Sardinian tennis player in the Davis Cup any time soon. Let's hope that Lorenzo Carboni, undoubtedly a very interesting young man, finds the luck and tenacity to continue training and growing as an athlete, hoping that these Italian victories will inspire him with enthusiasm."

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