Sinner seals Davis Cup crown for Italy to cap standout 2024 season

Jannik Sinner rounded out his stunning year in a typically cool and collected fashion on Sunday in Malaga.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(2), 6-2 to seal a second consecutive Davis Cup title for Italy. After Matteo Berrettini earlier defeated Botic van de Zandschulp, Sinner’s win completed a 2-0 triumph for his country against the Netherlands and capped another year in which Italian tennis has enjoyed considerable success across the board.

“It has been an amazing year. I’m very proud of the whole team,” said Sinner. “There is a lot of work behind it and I’m very happy to hold this trophy again. It was a very difficult day today, because anything can happen.”

Sinner saved the only two break points of the opening set against Griekspoor, before clinching it in a tie-break. In the second set, he responded to letting slip an early break lead by reeling off four straight games from 2-2 to earn a 91-minute victory and spark ecstatic celebrations among his teammates.

Phenomenal season. Incredible player! ? ??@janniksin shines again to secure @federtennis their second consecutive Davis Cup title! ?@DavisCup | #DavisCup pic.twitter.com/Zl1aNtT6I5

The Australian Open, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals champion Sinner has finished his 2024 season with a 73-6 singles record, according to the Infosys ATP Stats Win/Loss Index, the most by an ATP Tour player since Andy Murray's 78 in 2016. The 23-year-old won his final 14 tour-level matches of the season, and dropped just one set across that streak.

Earlier, Berrettini overcame Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2 to put his country 1-0 up against a Netherlands team competing in its first Davis Cup final. After a hard-fought opening, Berrettini won nine of 11 games from 3-4 in the first set to improve to 5-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Dutchman.

“I’m just so happy. Obviously last year I was here to support the team, and this year I brought some points to the cause,” said Berrettini, who missed his country’s 2023 triumph after an injury-disrupted season. “But it doesn’t matter who is playing, we always put our heart on the court. Everybody is giving their best, that is the secret to our team.

“Also the guys who are back home, Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi, they won some matches in the previous stage that were really important. It’s a really big team and I’m very happy with the trophy.”

Matteo Berrettini celebrates after giving Italy a 1-0 lead in the Davis Cup Final. Photo Credit: Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images

Berrettini, who has this year lifted ATP Tour crowns in Marrakech, Gstaad and Kitzbühel, won 86 per cent (30/35) of points behind his first serve and did not face a break point en route to victory.

Italy, whose team also included Lorenzo Musetti, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, is the first country to successfully defend the Davis Cup crown since Czechia in 2013. Its third Davis Cup victory comes just four days after the country’s Hologic WTA Tour stars, which included Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, lifted the Billie Jean King Cup trophy in Malaga.

“It’s amazing, because last year we won for the first time after 47 years,” said Italy captain Filippo Volandri of his team's latest Davis Cup triumph. “But what I said at the beginning of this journey to the players is, ‘We want to make history, and history is if you can do it twice’. I was thinking in the next few years, but it happened right away and I’m so proud of this team.”

Despite defeat in the final, the Netherlands lineup can reflect on an impressive week during which it posted the best Davis Cup result in Dutch history. On Tuesday, it downed host nation Spain in the quarter-finals to bring an end to Rafael Nadal’s historic career. That tie also proved to be the final time Wesley Koolhof competed as a pro, in a deciding doubles win alongside Van de Zandschulp against Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers.

“I just want to say a couple of words for Wesley Koolhof,” said Sinner of the retiring doubles star. “He’s had an amazing career. I think everyone is asking why he’s retiring, because he played amazingly at the end of the year and the whole year. I wish him all the best.”

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