Fabio Fognini

"(About “the inability to control emotions, expectations, and tension on the court”) It's my job, and when I'm on the court, I want to do my best, and many times I don't understand that in certain situations I have to play with what I have. If tomorrow I have five, I have to play with five and I can't expect seven. This is what has always cost me throughout my career. It has taken me to a high level, but not as high as I could have gone. It's my limit. [...] Many people say, “You have to learn from Rafa [Nadal], you have to learn from Roger [Federer],” but how can you do that? There's only one Rafa, and there's only one Roger."

"I have to be honest, I don't like the future that lies ahead for this sport [tennis]. Maybe it's because I'm part of an older generation, but now all you see are kids hitting “bombs” with their serves and forehands. I don't enjoy it. When I stop playing, I won't watch it on television and I won't buy a ticket to see a show like that. I don't think it's worth it."

"Interviewer: “Fabio, how many times?” Fognini: How many times what? Interviewer: “How many times have you smashed your racket on the ground?” Fognini: Never enough."

"When I lose my temper, my mouth starts moving on its own [...]"

"[...] when I hang up my racket, I'll be able to say that I was Fabio Fognini in every sense of the word. Mistakes are part of growing up: I don't brag about them, I'm not proud of them. And when I've made mistakes, I've always paid the price. I've never had any breaks in my life."

"Interviwer: “To win, do you have to be selfish?” Fognini: Yes, but only for a limited time. Let me explain: when I play against you, we're not friends, but if we want to go for a beer afterwards, I'm in. What happens on the court stays on the court. That's why after every fine or setback, I've always bounced back."

"I don't even know why certain things happen to me. [...] It's as if Fabio sometimes ceases to exist on the court and is suddenly replaced by another guy who is totally out of control. An enemy that I carry inside me and that I sometimes can't hold back."

"Interviewer: “Fognini would have won much more with a different mindset [...]: truth or stereotype?” Fognini: I've been hearing this my whole life, and I'm tired of it. I'm fine with the way things are: I've made it into the top 10 in the rankings while staying true to myself. Becoming what others want me to be would make me unhappy."

"Interviewer: “No regrets about not becoming a soccer player, perhaps for Inter, as your father dreamed?” Fognini: The Dellacasa family lived near our house in Arma: he was Inter's official masseur and a customer at my dad's hardware store. My dad is also a good friend of Altobelli's, so much so that in 1982 he invited him to follow the national team to Spain for the World Cup. All my childhood idols are soccer players: Materazzi the rebel, Zamorano the warrior. My father and I used to go to Pinetina to watch the training sessions. But when I was 13 and faced with a crossroads, I didn't hesitate: in tennis, you're on your own, the credit is yours, the blame is yours. There are no excuses. That's how it works."

"Whether you like it or not, we're all a bit like Fognini. Get used to it."

"I also slide on concrete, and all this sliding and starting again, sliding and starting again, the support... my joints suffer. I've always been someone who has to be in a certain physical condition when I'm on the court. I'm not six feet tall, I can't go out on the court not at my best and get by with my serve and power. Being in good physical shape is essential for me [...]"

"I've always said this, even if it may sound bad: I hope my son doesn't play tennis. Because I know what I've done, the sacrifices my dad made... Not that I'm not willing to make them for my children, far from it, but at the same time it's hard, because if you want to try to excel in our sport, you have to put in a lot of dedication. Maybe it's an adjective that may seem strong: “hard” is waking up at 4 a.m. and going to work. Ours is a very beautiful life, but there are a thousand difficulties. Being alone, far from home and friends, traveling, fatigue, jet lag: there are so many moments that fans don't see. Those who are close to us, those who follow us, know how hard it is. And you have to get used to these things from an early age. [...] This is a hard life. At the same time, I know we are very lucky. In the end, I've made a career out of a sport, and being able to earn a living this way is not something everyone can do; it's a privilege."

"I'm aware that I can't please everyone. But the most important thing, as I've always said and will say again, is that when Fabio Fognini ends his career, he may have some regrets, yes, but he'll come out with his head held high. Because of the wonderful career he has had and because he has never changed. Interviewer: What do you mean? Fognini: I have always remained myself, regardless of results, popularity, news, and everything around me. And I am proud of that because I think it is important. I think you can be Valentino Rossi, the world's number one motorcyclist, or Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods... but if these things change you, you lose a bit of your humanity. It wouldn't be fair to name names, but I think many of my colleagues have changed with success, and that's a very sad thing."

"Years ago, for example, I wasn't ready to understand the fans. Interviewer: The audience at the Internazionali di Roma, for example? Fognini: Yes, and the audience in Rome is a special one, which Fabio Fognini at the time was probably not ready to welcome, to take on his shoulders and carry with him. I had a love-hate relationship with Rome, especially when I was young. I've always been someone who likes to play in big stadiums, with strong players, with fans. It's always excited me. The crowd in Rome is one of the best ever. The fans speak your language, they know you, they want the best from you... playing in Rome is priceless. On the other hand, though, all this can also work against you. They can kill you. You're so tense and want to do so well that you can struggle, and that's something that happened to me in the past. And I didn't understand why they didn't support me when I was in trouble, when I really needed it. This love-hate relationship went on for quite some time. Then, I think we understood each other and, above all, they understood me. At the same time, I probably also learned to accept that the public had expectations, almost demands, of me. I've always been very short-tempered, very passionate, and this came out especially when things were going badly. I would get frustrated, angry, break a racket, argue with someone... But there is no right or wrong, everyone has their own way of expressing themselves and suffering when they fail."

"Over the years, I have realized that in tennis, the psychological component is perhaps the most important. There is a huge amount of tension, and if you want to excel, the mind plays a big part and, above all, ‘the mind lies’, so you have to train it. As if it were a muscle, you have to find a way. In the past, few people trained their minds as they could have, but in my opinion it's important and today we work on it more. I have increasingly followed a certain type of mental training, if you can call it that, also because of the need to get out of certain situations. Interviewer: “Would you like to talk about it?” Fognini: I remember one year I was in Paris, and one night I woke up almost crying, next to Flavia [Pennetta]. I thought I was going to die. I was sweating, my heart was racing, I couldn't feel my left arm, I thought, “Help, I'm having a heart attack.” But no, it was a panic attack. The next day I went onto the court and didn't know what to do, I didn't know where to go, I couldn't breathe properly. These panic attacks have to be managed, you have to work on them, getting your mind used to them with exercises and being aware that things like this can happen. At first I was scared. But not as a tennis player [...], as a person. I thought: I don't want to be like this. Because it's not about suffering on the court, fighting, giving my best, running, winning matches: that's a kind of suffering I'm willing to endure. But off the court, I don't want to suffer like this."