‘I cannot explain what I’m feeling right now’
Italy crowned world champions after historic 2023 Davis Cup final win over Australia
Singles victories for Matteo Arnaldi and Jannik Sinner seal Italy’s first title since 1976
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Read Italy and Australia press conference transcripts
Draw ceremonies for 2024 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers and 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers took place prior to today’s final in Malaga
Italy ended their 47-year Davis Cup title drought after capping an extraordinary week in Malaga with victory over Australia in Sunday’s final at the Martin Carpena Arena.
Matteo Arnaldi overcame Alexei Popyrin 7-5 2-6 6-4 in the opening singles match before world No. 4 Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-0 to spark scenes of jubilation amongst Italy’s players, staff and supporters
Captain Filippo Volandri and his players – Sinner, Arnaldi, Lorenzo Musetti, Lorenzo Sonego and Simone Bolelli – were presented with the famous Davis Cup trophy by ITF President David Haggerty to a raucous reception on the court.
The team also shared the moment with Italian Davis Cup legend and 2-time Roland Garros singles champion Nicola Pietrangeli, who led Italy to their first two Davis Cup finals in 1960 and 1961, but fell just short of lifting the famous trophy as a player, losing to Australia on both occasions.
Italy had twice recovered from a match down to defeat Czechia 2-1 in the quarter-finals and Serbia 2-1 in the semi-finals. After Serbia led 1-0, Jannik Sinner saved three consecutive Novak Djokovic match points that would have sent Serbia to the final.
With today’s victory, Italy have become the 11th nation to win multiple Davis Cup titles, and the first nation to do so since Croatia won their second title in 2018.
Both Italy’s men’s and women’s teams reached the final of the World Cup of Tennis, with Tathiana Garbin’s team falling just short to Canada in the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge final in Seville on 12 November.
This is the second consecutive year that a nation has had both their men’s and women’s teams fighting in the final to become world champions, after Australia’s men’s and women’s teams reached the final of the World Cup of Tennis in 2022.
Filippo Volandri said: “All the guys here and the guys that are not here right now gave us a lot of things. That’s why we really won this trophy. I always say we had a lot of emergencies, but being close, playing as a family, we overcome these kind of things, and yeah, we did it.”
Jannik Sinner said: “This is something different, something really special, because you don’t play for yourself but you play for the whole team. I think every one of us, we were really excited to be part of this. I gave 100%, all what I had, and I think the whole team, they all pushed each other, and this is the key why we are standing here with this trophy.”
Matteo Arnaldi said: “I cannot explain what I’m feeling right now. I didn’t play my best tennis, but I think the result is what matters. At the end, I played well in the important moments, and I think it was important for us, for the team, to win my match, so I’m really happy, and I hope I helped the team.”
Both the 2023 Davis Cup Finals and Junior Finals took place in Andalucia as part of a wider agreement between the ITF and the Region of Andalucia, which also saw the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals take place in Seville (7-12 November). The Junior Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge also took place in Córdoba from 6-12 November, with USA clinching the title, while Czechia won the Davis Cup Juniors title.
2024 Qualifiers Draws
The draws for the 2024 Billie Kean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers and the 2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers both took place in Malaga on Sunday.
To see the full draws, click below:
2024 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers Draw
2024 Davis Cup Qualifiers Draw
For more information and exciting new content including match action, archive footage and player features visit the Davis Cup website or follow @DavisCup on X, Davis Cup on Facebook and @daviscup on Instagram.
About Davis Cup
Davis Cup began in 1900 as a competition between USA and Great Britain. It is now the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport, with a record 155 nations entered in 2023.
About the ITF
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of tennis. Founded in 1913, its purpose is to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for future generations in association with its 213 member National Associations. The ITF oversees the rules and regulations that govern international and national competition. The ITF is responsible for the worldwide development of tennis through its highly regarded global Development Programme, its Science and Technical department which monitors equipment and technology, and its Officiating department which oversees the education and advancement of officials. The ITF organises up to 1850 men’s, women’s, and junior tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour, and manages the ITF junior team competitions, ITF Beach Tennis World Tour, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, together with the men’s and women’s World Cup of Tennis, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge respectively, the two largest annual international team competitions in tennis. The ITF manages the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC and the Paralympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IPC and the Qualification Pathways for both events at the Games. For further information please visit www.itftennis.com.
About the Region of Andalucia
The Region of Andalucia, in its capacity as a European Region of Sport has hosted a number of major international sport events in recent years including the Badminton World Cup, the finals of football’s Spanish King Cup, Spain Sail Grand Prix Andalucia, Solheim Cup and Spanish Grand Prix MotoGP.
The Region of Andalucia is home to the ITF’s 2023 World Cup of Tennis events:
Davis Cup Junior Finals, Cordoba (30 October – 5 November)
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Junior Finals, Cordoba (6-12 November)
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, Seville (7-12 November)
Davis Cup Final 8, Malaga (21-26 November)
