Berrettini and Fognini ready to lift Italy in ATP Cup

The rise of Italian tennis has been a thing to behold and Matteo Berrettini hopes to lift the country even higher in the ATP Cup this year.

The Italian team will be spearheaded by Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini who will be looking for a great result at this year's ATP Cup. Joining the squad will be veteran Simone Bolelli who has fond memories of Melbourne winning the AO doubles trophy in 2015. With 8 players in top 100, Italy has no shortage of talent and their best player Berrettini called it a source of inspiration:

“We are always helping each other to get through our limits. One week [Fabio] is winning a tournament, the next week I'm trying to win my tournament, at least my best result. I think it's really healthy competition."

For Matteo the young rising stars are particulalry impressive:

“We were watching them and we were inspired by them. They're still doing great careers. I think it helps us to figure out how to do it.”

Excitement is high within Matteo and his teammates and that is due to the opportunity to play in front of fans:

“I think we are all really excited to play, really excited to come back and play with the crowd also, as well. It's been a long time... It's nice to play with a team. We're a strong team. We're good friends. It's going to be nice.”

Playing in Group C will be tough with the likes of Thiem and Monfils ready to challenge the Italians but Fognini believes he will do good especially with fans in attendance:

“We are lucky that we are here and we play with a big crowd on the court. My opinion, the player that I am, the person that I am, I feel I need [the crowd] because, of course, sometimes I'm a bit crazy. I do something special in every sense, but I really enjoy it.”

The ATP Cup starts tomorrow 0:30 CET so be sure to come back for daily coverage of the event. In the meantime check out our live scores page which offers you the chance to follow matches in real-time.