Matteo Arnaldi gave a touching tribute to the late father of his girlfriend after winning the opening singles rubber for Italy in the Davis Cup final. The world No 44 defeated Alexei Popyrin in three sets before Jannik Sinner sealed the deal for Italy, with the nation winning the tournament for the first time since 1976. Arnaldi and his partner looked tearful as he dedicated his victory to her dad.
Italy were crowned Davis Cup champions on Sunday after defeating Australia 2-0. It was Arnaldi who delivered the first blow, winning a tight three-setter 7-5 4-6 6-2. The 22-year-old saved eight break points in the third and final set before pouncing at a crucial time to get the first point on the board for Italy.
And the youngster looked close to tears after the match as he paid tribute to the late father of his girlfriend Mia Savio. “It’s very emotional. More because a very important person passed away a month ago for me and for my girlfriend,” Arnaldi said on court.
“So this is for him and she doesn’t know what it means to me. Also for my country. It was very emotional to play. I didn’t play much the last few weeks.” Arnaldi lost a close match during Italy’s quarter-final tie against the Netherlands earlier in the week before getting a crucial victory for his nation in the final and he explained just how much the win meant to him.
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The world No 44 added: “I was happy after the first match even if I lost. Now I won one of the most important matches of my life. I don’t know what to say right now.” But Arnaldi wanted to make sure that he could use the moment to honour Savio’s father, adding: “This victory is for him. He will always be a part of my journey, and I hope I made him proud today.”
Arnaldi later said that his girlfriend’s dad gave him “power” as he reflected on his emotions after winning the first singles rubber. Speaking after the match, he explained: “Like I said on court, this match was very important and emotional for a few things. One, this year for me was the first time playing for your country. I played when I was junior, but Davis Cup is just different. So for all the ties that we’re watching, just one responsibility more.
“And then like I said, a month ago, three weeks ago, an important person passed away. I think he gave me the power to try to stay there, and I think I also blocked a bit for that, because I really wanted to win for all this reason. It wasn’t easy to play, but they gave me the power at the end to try to win the match.”
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Arnaldi had never represented Italy at the Davis Cup until the group stage in September, where they lost their first tie before storming back to book their spot in Finals week. After Italy clinched the trophy for the first time in 47 years, Arnaldi addressed the pressure of stepping up for his nation on the most important occasion.
“There was a lot of pressure, for sure. For me was the first time playing the Davis Cup, first time to win the team. I cannot explain what I’m feeling right now,” he smiled. “When I got in the court, I was nervous like always, but I think after I won the first set, more pressure came up, and I think you could see it. I didn’t play my best tennis, but I think the results is what matters.
“At the end, I played well in the important moments, and I think was important for us, for the team, to win the match, to win my match, so I’m really happy, and I hope I help the team.”
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