Italy wins the Davis Cup for the second time, repeating the historic success of 1976.
In Malaga, after eliminating Novak Djokovic's Serbia in the semi-final, Volandri's Azzurri, led by an amazing Jannik Sinner, also won the final against Australia, without even playing the double.
Matteo Arnaldi received applause in the first singles of the final, with the Italian beating Alexei Popyrin in three sets (7-5, 2-6, 6-4).
Then Sinner himself took care of crumbling world number 12 De Minaur in two sets (6-3, 6-0), putting an end to the games and giving Italy the legendary "salad bowl" and a joy awaited for almost half a century.
«A great thing» – «It is a joy for the Italians who came all the way here to Malaga and for all those who stay at home and cheered for us. It's a big thing,” Sinner said after the win. «This season – added the Italian tennis star – we have suffered, but we are a united team, and each of us can smile at this success. Closing the season like this is wonderful and gives us a lot of energy to prepare for the next one."
Compliments from Meloni – The Italian team also received compliments from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. «Italian sport – wrote the Prime Minister on social media – today never ceases to excite us. Italy's tennis team wins the 2023 Davis Cup. A historic result: our national team's only victory in this competition dates back to 1976. Congratulations to our tennis players for the talent and commitment shown and to all the staff."
Roll of honor – The roll of honor of the prestigious tournament is therefore updated. The team that has won the most is the USA with 32 titles, then there is Australia with 28. Followed by the United Kingdom and France with 10, Sweden with 7, Spain with 6, Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic with 3 , while Italy has reached Croatia at 2. Finally, at one point there are South Africa, Argentina, Serbia, Switzerland and Canada.
(Unioneonline/lf)
