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Four Italians have lifted ATP Tour singles trophies this year

There will be a strong Italian presence at The All England Club this year, with nine Italian players featuring in the Wimbledon main draw. The nation has enjoyed a stellar opening six months to the season, with four Italians accounting for five ATP Tour titles this year.

With the top three Italian men achieving a career-high ATP Ranking in 2019, the rise of Italian tennis has been one of the themes of the ATP Tour in 2019. At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, Italian No. 1 Fabio Fognini became the first player from his nation to lift an ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

But Italy's success has not been confined to clay courts. In the six ATP Tour grass-court events prior to Wimbledon, two have been won by Italian players. Matteo Berrettini opened his grass-court campaign with a win at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart and Lorenzo Sonego joined his compatriot in the winners' circle by lifting his maiden tour-level trophy at the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya.

ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the nine Italian men who will compete in the main draw...

Fabio Fognini (ATP Ranking: No. 10)
After claiming a career-best three ATP Tour crowns in 2018, Fognini stunned 11-time champion Rafael Nadal en route to the biggest title of his career at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Sanremo native has compiled a 16-11 tour-level record this season and cracked the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time after his run to the fourth round at Roland Garros.

Fognini became the oldest player to break into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 38-year-old Ken Rosewall and 35-year-old Rod Laver on 23 August 1973, when the ATP Rankings were first established. Fognini is just the third Italian man to crack the elite group, joining Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti. The 12th seed, who will be aiming to advance beyond the third round at Wimbledon for the first time, faces a tough first-round clash against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe.


Matteo Berrettini (ATP Ranking: No. 20)
As the only Italian to lift two tour-level trophies this season, Matteo Berrettini will enter the gates at SW19 with confidence. The World No. 20 currently sits at a career-high ATP Ranking, following title runs at the Hungarian Open in Budapest and the MercedesCup in Stuttgart. The 23-year-old enters Wimbledon with a 9-1 record on grass this season, backing up his success in Stuttgart with a run to the NOVENTI OPEN semi-finals. Berrettini will meet Aljaz Bedene for the third time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (1-1) in the first round.

Marco Cecchinato (ATP Ranking: No. 40)
After a breakthrough 2018 season, Marco Cecchinato lifted his third ATP Tour trophy at the Argentina Open in February. The 26-year-old, who rose to a career-high No. 16 in the ATP Rankings on 25 February, will meet Alex de Minaur for the second straight year in the first round at Wimbledon. Last year, the #NextGenATP Australian edged a tight four-set battle en route to the third round.


Andreas Seppi (ATP Ranking: No. 71)
The 35-year-old reached his first tour-level final since 2015 at the Sydney International in January (l. to De Minaur). Seppi, who advanced the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2013, will look to improve his 16-14 record at the grass-court Grand Slam championship when he meets Nicolas Jarry in the first round. The Italian will be appearing in the Wimbledon main draw for the 15th consecutive year, extending his run of consecutive major tournament entries to 57.

Lorenzo Sonego (ATP Ranking: No. 75)
What a difference a week makes. Sonego entered the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya on a six-match tour-level losing streak, searching for his first grass-court victory. But the Turin native played with confidence throughout his week in Turkey, defeating three seeded players en route to the championship match, where he saved championship point to overcome Miomir Kecmanovic and lift his first ATP Tour trophy. Sonego will meet Marcel Granollers of Spain in his opening match at The Championships.

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Thomas Fabbiano (ATP Ranking: No. 102)
The 5'7" right-hander defeated second seed Laslo Djere and sixth seed Gilles Simon in back-to-back matches to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final at the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne. Fabbiano enjoyed success at Wimbledon in 2018, reaching the third round for the first time. The man who ended his run last year, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is his first-round opponent this year.

Paolo Lorenzi (ATP Ranking: No. 107)
The 37-year-old reached the quarter-finals at the New York Open in February, defeating Americans Tennys Sandgren and Ryan Harrison before a three-set loss to eventual runner-up Brayden Schnur. Lorenzi has advanced to the second round at Wimbledon in each of the past two seasons, but will need to overcome 11th seed Daniil Medvedev if he is to keep that streak alive.

Read Lorenzi's Love: Why Paolo Battles On At 37

Salvatore Caruso (ATP Ranking: No. 125)
After posting his first two Grand Slam main draw wins to reach the third round at Roland Garros last month, Caruso successfully navigated his way through the qualifying draw to reach the Wimbledon main draw for the first time. The 26-year-old dropped just six games in his final qualifying match against Schnur and will face 20th seed Simon in the first round.

Andrea Arnaboldi (ATP Ranking: No. 209)
The 31-year-old left-hander was taken to a final set in each of his three Wimbledon qualifying matches, but held his nerve to reach the main draw for the first time. Competing in his first Grand Slam main draw since 2015 Roland Garros and his first tour-level match of the season, Arnaboldi will meet Ivo Karlovic in the first round.

An executive summary of what every fan should know ahead of The Championships

After three weeks of grass-court events on the ATP Tour, the top players in the ATP Rankings head to Wimbledon for the third Grand Slam event of the season. Top three seeds Novak Djokovic (4), Roger Federer (8) and Rafael Nadal (2) will all be aiming to add to their Wimbledon trophy collections at The All England Club. Here are 12 things to watch at the grass-court Grand Slam championship:

1) Big Three Lead the Way: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal occupy the top three seeding positions at Wimbledon. This is the first time since 2012 at Wimbledon that the Big Three are the top three seeds and the fifth time (2008, '10-'12, '19) overall. Since Federer won his first of a record eight titles here in 2003, the Big Three have combined to capture 14 of the past 16 championships. Andy Murray won the remaining titles in 2013 and 2016.

View Draw

2) Big Three Domination: The Big Three have won 10 straight Grand Slam titles going back to the 2017 Australian Open. It is the third-longest streak of Grand Slam titles won by the trio. The last player outside the Big Three to win a Grand Slam singles title was Stan Wawrinka, who defeated Djokovic to win the 2016 US Open. The Big Three collected 18 consecutive Grand Slam trophies between 2005 Roland Garros and 2009 Wimbledon and 11 from 2010 Australian Open to 2012 Wimbledon.

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3) Reigning Champion: Last year, Djokovic came into Wimbledon as the No. 12 seed at No. 21 in the ATP Rankings. The Serbian defeated Nadal 10-8 in the fifth set in the semi-finals, before earning his fourth Wimbledon crown with a straight-sets win against Kevin Anderson. He was the lowest seed to win Wimbledon since No. 12 Andre Agassi in 1992. This is the sixth time (2012-16) Djokovic is the No. 1 seed at Wimbledon.

The 32-year-old Serb has a 65-10 record at The All England Club. Last year, Djokovic entered Wimbledon with an 18-9 record (0-1 in finals). This year, he comes in with a 28-6 mark with titles at the Australian Open and the Mutua Madrid Open. Dominic Thiem ended his 26-match Grand Slam winning streak with a five-set victory in the Roland Garros semi-finals.

4) Roger Aims for Ninth Title: In 2017, Federer became the greatest champion in Wimbledon history by capturing his eighth trophy, breaking a tie with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the most titles at The All England Club. Federer is the first man in Wimbledon history to compete in the singles draw for 21 consecutive years. He also collected junior singles and doubles crowns in 1998. Federer has a 95-12 Wimbledon record and he owns the record for most match wins.

5) Federer Grass/2019 Update: Federer has the best record on grass (179-26, .873) in the Open Era and a record 19 titles. Federer comes into Wimbledon after capturing his 10th Halle crown (d. Goffin) and 102nd tour-level title. The 37-year-old Swiss superstar has a 32-4 record on the season and he leads the ATP Tour with three titles (Dubai, Miami, Halle).

Read Federer On The Big Three: 'We Push Each Other To Greater Heights

6) Rafa At SW19: From 2006 through 2011, Nadal reached the Wimbledon final in five consecutive appearances (did not play in 2009), winning the title in 2008 and 2010. He compiled a 35-5 record in his first seven appearances. After struggling to reach the latter stages of the tournament between 2012 and 2017 (withdrew in 2016 due to a left wrist injury), Nadal went on an impressive run to the semi-finals last year, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic 10-8 in a deciding fifth set. Nadal, who owns a 48-11 record at SW19, can capture his 50th Wimbledon victory this year by reaching the third round.

7) Nadal Eyes Sweep: Nadal is trying to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same year for the third time. He captured his 12th Roland Garros crown last month (d. Thiem). He swept Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2010. Bjorn Borg accomplished the feat from 1978-80.

Read Nadal: 'The Only Thing That Matters Is To Win Matches'

No. 1 Ranking Update: The No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings can’t change hands after Wimbledon. Djokovic has 12,415 points and Nadal 7,945 coming into the tournament. With Djokovic defending 2,000 points and Nadal 720, the Spaniard can’t overtake the Serb. Last year, Nadal came into Wimbledon with a 50-point lead over Federer in the No. 1 battle in the ATP Rankings. Nadal held the No. 1 position until Djokovic regained the top spot last November. The start of Wimbledon will be Djokovic's 258th week holding the No. 1 ATP Ranking. He is closing in on Jimmy Connors, who held the top spot for 268 weeks, which is fourth-most in ATP Rankings history (since 1973).

9) #NextGenATP Stars to Watch: The top six players in the ATP Race to Milan standings are in the main draw, led by World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has the most wins on the ATP Tour with a 34-14 record.

ATP Race To Milan

Position Player Age Wimbledon History
1 Stefanos Tsitsipas 20 3-2 (R4 in 2018)
2 Felix Auger-Aliassime 18 Main Draw Debut
3 Denis Shapovalov 20 1-2 (R2 in 2018)
4 Frances Tiafoe 21 3-2 (R3 in 2018
5 Casper Ruud 20 Main Draw Debut
6 Alex de Minaur 20 2-1 (R3 in 2018)
10) Lopez Extends Record: Wild card and Fever-Tree Championships winner Feliciano Lopez will be playing in his 70th consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament, which is an all-time record in men’s tennis. The 37-year-old Spaniard is making his 18th straight appearance and will be aiming to improve on his 33-17 record at Wimbledon. Lopez has reached the quarter-finals on three occasions at SW19 (2005, '08, '11).

11) Singles Champions in Doubles Draw: Lleyton Hewitt, who won the 2002 Wimbledon singles title, and two-time winner Andy Murray (2013, '16) are in the doubles draw. This is the first time since 1992 that two former Wimbledon singles champions are in the doubles draw. John McEnroe, a three-time singles winner (1981, ‘83-84), teamed with 1991 champion Michael Stich to capture the doubles crown that year. Hewitt is partnering countryman Jordan Thompson and Murray will compete alongside Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert for the first time. Herbert won the doubles title in 2016 (w/Mahut). Hewitt is 9-8 in doubles at Wimbledon and made his debut (w/Federer) in 1999, reaching the third round. Murray’s only previous doubles result at Wimbledon came in 2005, losing in the first round with partner David Sherwood.

Read Doubles Draw Preview

12) Bryans Make 20th Appearance: Three-time Wimbledon champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan are making their 20th appearance together at The All England Club. The Bryans are 3-4 in finals, winning titles in 2006, 2011 and 2013. They have a 70-16 career record together at Wimbledon. Due to Bob’s hip injury last year, Mike partnered countryman Jack Sock. The Americans defeated Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus in five sets to lift the trophy.

ATPTour.com looks at players to watch at SW19
The three strong favourites to emerge victorious at Wimbledon are the Top 3 seeds: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The trio has combined to win 14 of the past 16 trophies at The Championships. And all three men are in good form leading into the season’s third Grand Slam.

But there are contenders who can make deep runs and threaten to capture the glory, and there are darkhorses who may not win the title, but can certainly do significant damage in the draw at SW19. ATPTour.com highlights five from each category.

Five Contenders

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Could this #NextGenATP Greek make his biggest breakthrough yet at Wimbledon? Tsitsipas began the season No. 15 in the ATP Rankings and with the spotlight on him after winning last November’s Next Gen ATP Finals. But he has shone even brighter in 2019, advancing to the Australian Open semi-finals, making the final in Madrid and winning titles in Marseille and Estoril. Although he fell in the fourth round at Roland Garros, he went blow-for-blow against an in-form former champion in Stan Wawrinka.

Tsitsipas has yet to find significant grass-court success as a pro. But not only was he a Wimbledon boys’ singles semi-finalist and boys’ doubles champion in 2016, his game fits the surface. The 20-year-old has a serve that can skip through the court and an attacking game that will allow him to control play. He never shies away from the net, either.


Dominic Thiem
The Austrian star has never advanced past the fourth round at The Championships. But that does not mean Thiem is incapable of doing so. He has long been recognised for his clay-court prowess. But the two-time Roland Garros finalist has proven more than a one-surface wonder.

Thiem claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on hard courts at the BNP Paribas Open this March. And even though he has claimed just one of his 13 ATP Tour titles on grass, the World No. 4’s powerful game will be a significant threat if he is on at SW19.

Kevin Anderson
The South African has played only four tournaments this year due to an elbow injury. But don’t count out the 2018 Wimbledon finalist.

The only part of Anderson’s game that was affected by the injury was his serve. And if he finds his rhythm from the first match to get by dangerous Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, that could be the confidence the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier needs to move through what is arguably the most open quarter of the draw.

Daniil Medvedev
Two years ago, the Russian broke onto the scene by upsetting then-World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the first round at The Championships. At the time, Medvedev was a realtively unknown 21-year-old ranked just inside the world’s Top 50. Now, he is a legitimate contender to make a deep run at the grass-court major.

If Medvedev and Tsitsipas meet in the fourth round, the Russian holds a 4-0 advantage in their budding FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Only three players — Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Federer — have won more matches than Medvedev (56) over the past 52 weeks, and he will take confidence from a run to the Fever-Tree Championships semi-finals.

Milos Raonic
The Canadian is the lowest-ranked member of this group at World No. 17. But Raonic almost always manages to find his best tennis at SW19. He has advanced to at least the quarter-finals in four of the past five years, and he made the final in 2016, falling just short against Andy Murray.

Raonic lost in a final-set tie-break against Feliciano Lopez at The Queen’s Club. The Spaniard went on to win the tournament. Additionally, the 28-year-old Raonic's 69.7 winning percentage on grass ranks sixth among active players according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone.

Five Darkhorses

Felix Auger-Aliassime
Before this season, Auger-Aliassime had never played a professional grass-court tournament. But you wouldn’t be able to tell by his results. The #NextGenATP Canadian, who was No. 152 in the ATP Rankings entering Wimbledon last year, is at a career-high No. 21. And he has the weapons to make some noise at SW19.

Auger-Aliassime, who made his third ATP Tour final at the MercedesCup and then reached the semi-finals at the Fever-Tree Championships, is a potential opponent for top-seeded Djokovic in the fourth round.


Matteo Berrettini
A year ago, this Italian was No. 81 in the ATP Rankings, and he quietly exited the grass-court Slam in the second round. But Berrettini is one of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour, winning two titles this season and triumphing in nine of his 10 grass-court matches, including a trophy run in Stuttgart.

At that ATP 250 tournament, Berrettini won all 50 of his service games, becoming just one of six players since 1999 to win at least two tour-level trophies without dropping serve (also 2018 Gstaad). The No. 17 seed’s first opponent with a higher ATP Ranking could be John Isner, who has not played since Miami.

Nick Kyrgios
Get your popcorn ready. Kyrgios, an undeniable talent, could play third seed Nadal in the second round. Deja vu?

At 19, Kyrgios beat Nadal in the fourth round at The Championships, announcing himself to the tennis world. The electric Aussie has split six FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings with the legendary Spaniard. And Kyrgios always finds some of his best tennis when the lights are shining brightest, which they will be if he plays Nadal in London.

“Follow

Sam Querrey
The former World No. 11 played his first tournament since Houston this week, as he suffered from a nagging abdominal injury. But Querrey has quickly found his form, advancing to the Nature Valley International final in Eastbourne.

Querrey will look to carry that momentum into one of the most eye-catching matchups of the first round at The Championships against fifth seed Dominic Thiem. The Austrian has won three of their four previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. But on his day, especially on grass, Querrey has proven capable of beating anybody with his big game. The 31-year-old reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2016 and the semi-finals in 2017.

Feliciano Lopez
Lopez may be 37, but he didn’t look it at the Fever-Tree Championships. A wild card into that event, the Spaniard chipped and charged his way to net time and time again on the lush London grass, giving his opponents fits. And not only did he win the singles title, but he partnered Andy Murray to the doubles crown, as well.

Lopez could face No. 10 seed Karen Khachanov in the second round. They are both in reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev’s section of the draw.


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McEnroe, Huss/Moodie set the bar at The All England Club
The 16 qualifiers this year at Wimbledon will likely be looking back at history for inspiration as they aim to go deep in the main draw.

From teenage breakthroughs to inspiring title runs, ATPTour.com looks at the best showings from qualifiers in Wimbledon history.

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John McEnroe (1977 semi-finals)
An 18-year-old McEnroe made it from the qualifying rounds at Roehampton to Centre Court before losing to Jimmy Connors in four sets. Arriving in London with an ATP Ranking of No. 264, he soared to No. 71 after recording the first-ever Grand Slam semi-final run from a qualifier.

The American gave it the old college try after Wimbledon, enrolling at Stanford University and winning the NCAA singles championship in his freshman year. McEnroe turned pro immediately afterwards and his penchant for grass-court success never wavered. Three singles titles and five doubles titles later at The All England Club, he’s considered one of the greatest grass-court players of all time.

Vladimir Voltchkov (2000 semi-finals)

Although the Belarusian won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title in 1996, his junior dominance hadn’t translated to the pros. Prior to his semi-final run, Voltchkov said his goal for the tournament was “to win a few matches [in qualifying], make some money to travel.”
Voltchkov caught fire on the grass, stunning No. 6 seed Cedric Pioline in the second round and beating several other established grass-court players. His semi-final run was so unexpected that he had to borrow shorts from Marat Safin and wear donated shoes just to keep playing.

Pete Sampras ended the fairytale run in the semi-finals and joked afterwards that Voltchkov “can probably get a clothing contract now.”

Voltchkov <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... mbledon</a> 2000

Bernard Tomic (2011 quarter-finals)

The 18-year-old Aussie was pegged as a player to watch with his third-round showing that year at the Australian Open, but he announced his arrival to the tennis world at SW19. After coming through qualifying, Tomic took out former Top 3 player Nikolay Davydenko in the opening round and fifth seed Robin Soderling in the third round, eventually becoming the youngest player since Boris Becker (1986) to reach the last eight here.
“This is most definitely the best achievement I’ve done so far. I’ll always remember this as the first time I’ve really done well at a Grand Slam,” said Tomic.

Top seed Novak Djokovic halted Tomic’s run in a competitive four-set match. The inspired run remains the best Grand Slam result of the Aussie’s career.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/bern ... w'>Bernard Tomic</a> at <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... mbledon</a> 2011

Ricardo Acuna (1985 quarter-finals)
Acuna always seemed to come alive on grass and reached the third round at Wimbledon the previous year. The Chilean, then No. 133 in the ATP Rankings, took out sixth seed Pat Cash in a dramatic five-set win in the second round. Acuna was so focussed on the match that he had already played it in his sleep the night before.

“I must have hit at least four aces in my sleep,” he joked. “And I made a lot of returns.”

Connors eventually brought his dreams back to reality in the quarter-finals, but the performance helped propel Acuna to a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 47 the following year.

Paul Annacone (1984 quarter-finals)
After completing his third year of college tennis at the University of Tennessee, Annacone went on to have a truly epic summer break. The Aussie qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw and made it all the way to the quarter-finals before falling to Connors.

Annacone opted for the pros afterwards and enjoyed a stellar career, peaking at No. 12 in the ATP Rankings in 1986 and winning the 1985 Australian Open men’s doubles title (w/Van Rensburg). He had even greater success as a coach, guiding Pete Sampras and Roger Federer to Grand Slam titles and No. 1 ATP Rankings.

Wesley Moodie and Stephen Huss (2005 champions)

Wimbledon removed the doubles qualifying draw this year, so Huss and Moodie will forever remain the only qualifier team in tournament history to win the title. The Aussie and South African shocked top seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi in the semi-finals, then completed their historic run by defeating second seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the championship match. The win gave Moodie his first ATP Tour doubles title and Huss his second.
Moodie went on to reach the 2009 Roland Garros doubles final (w/Norman), but their title run was the only time that Huss reached a Grand Slam quarter-final.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/wesl ... ew'>Wesley Moodie</a> and <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/step ... w'>Stephen Huss</a> at 2005 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... mbledon</a>

Honorable Mention: Marcus Willis (2016 second round)

The Brit’s story of going from local teaching pro to Centre Court was written out of a Hollywood script. Willis was the last player to receive entry into the pre-qualifying draw, but won six matches to make his way into the main draw.
The World No. 772 in the ATP Rankings stunned Top 60 player Ricardas Berankis in the opening round to set up a Centre Court date with Federer. Although the Swiss won in straight sets, Willis held back tears as he was given a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd.

"Marcus brought an unbelievable energy to the court with the fans and his personality. He came up with some great shotmaking,” said Federer. “I knew it would be different to any other match I have played at Wimbledon. It was a pleasure to play against him.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/marc ... ew'>Marcus Willis</a> at 2016 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... mbledon</a>

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