Just four days after Italy's women won the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time since 2013, the nation's men lifted the Davis Cup for the second straight year to complete an Italian sweep in Malaga, Spain.
Singles wins for Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner on Sunday sealed a successful Davis Cup title defense for Italy, with neither man losing a set in the final against the Netherlands. Berrettini opened play with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Botic van De Zandschulp before Sinner clinched the trophy with a 7-6(2), 6-2 result over Tallon Griekspoor.
"We are very happy to be back here holding this trophy. It feels like we are in Italy," Sinner said. "You have a different pressure and a different weight of having Italy on your shoulders. I think we handled it really well.
"If it was not important, I would not be here. For me, it means so much to me."
At the Davis Cup Final 8, Italy lost just one match in three ties. In a 2-1 quarterfinal victory against Argentina, Berrettini and Sinner teamed up to win the decisive doubles rubber after the nations split the singles rubbers. It was the lone doubles match Italy was required to contest on the week, with Berrettini going 2-0 in singles and Sinner posting a perfect 3-0 singles record. The Italian victories against Australia in the semis and the Netherlands in the final, both via 2-0 scorelines, were secured via twin singles wins from Berrettini and Sinner.
"It feels unbelievable. It feels really great to be on court," said Berrettini, who came from a set down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in a dramatic three-setter to open the semifinal tie. "Being able to be healthy and enjoying this kind of atmosphere is the most important thing for me. I missed these moments and that's why I'm really happy."
For Sinner, who repeated his ATP Finals result against Alex de Minaur with a 6-3, 6-4 win in the semifinals, the Davis Cup triumph capped a standout 2024 season in which he won his first two Grand Slams at the Australian Open and US Open, as well as the ATP Finals title in Turin, Italy, earlier this month.
The 23-year-old was a runaway year-end No. 1 after debuting atop the ATP rankings for the first time in June. He closes the season with a 73-6 record and eight singles titles—including two ATP Masters 1000 crowns on U.S. hard courts, in Miami and Cincinnati.
