The Davis captain: “Jannik is fantastic in blue, he doesn’t put himself on a pedestal but is always close to his teammates. He did something extraordinary at Wimbledon. We are aiming to win our third Davis Cup in the next three years, always at home.”

Filippo Volandri knows Wimbledon, the atmosphere, the prestige, and the value of the oldest tournament. For him, a former top 20 player and Davis captain, experiencing the thrill of Italy’s first victory at Wimbledon was the culmination of a journey full of satisfaction during these two weeks in London. The historic triumph of the world number one, the many good performances of the Italian team, and an increasingly large and talented pool of players to draw from for the Davis Cup, which Italy will defend in Bologna in November.

Captain, how did you experience the final?

“Like something extraordinary. It was a question of understanding how Jannik would react to the Wimbledon final, which is different from all the others and he had never played one before. Neither of us played clean tennis in the first few games, but then Jan stepped up a gear. He’s a great tennis player, extraordinary.“

Why can’t a Wimbledon final be compared to any other?

”Centre Court is different from all the other Slams. The atmosphere is always special, it can be intimidating because it’s the court where all the greats have triumphed, where tennis history has been made.”

At the beginning, the fans in the stands were a little more on Alcaraz’s side, but as the match progressed, Sinner won the hearts of Centre Court.

“The support was very different from Paris, where there was a lot of support for Alcaraz. Here, at the beginning, there was a slight preference for the Spaniard, but then it became clear that they were cheering for the match and the spectacle. In the end, however, the support for our champion was loud and clear.”

All the Italian players expressed their joy at Sinner’s victory on social media, even the younger ones, for whom he seems to have become a bit of a big brother.

“When Jannik is on the court, when he has to play a match, he’s a war machine. But when he’s in the Davis Cup, or when there are other Italians, he’s fantastic because he always makes himself available. That’s also what makes him great: he doesn’t put himself on a pedestal as number one, but always tries to help in his own way with a word, a boost, a question, as he did in London with Vasamì and Basile.”

He can count on a large and varied squad and on guys who push each other.

“Yes, and as a coach as well as captain of the national team, I’m happy that they’re all like that. Berrettini has always helped Cobolli, even when he made his Davis Cup debut. In Paris, Musetti trained with Vasamì. During training breaks, they talk, exchange opinions, and grow.”

We were talking about Cobolli earlier, because Sinner is number 1, he’s a champion, and it’s a bit difficult to identify with him. But Flavio’s growth is another message that with hard work and commitment you can reach the top. How do you see it?

“Flavio sometimes says he doesn’t like training, but that’s not true. He’s become very professional, he’s grown up, matured, and the results have come. Now he needs to be treated like a strong player. I told his father Stefano, who is also his coach. Planning becomes important, how many and which tournaments, recovery. Cobolli is an extraordinary athlete and this preparation must be maintained. So you have to manage the day-to-day.”

In light of this historic victory, how do you see the future for the Italian team?

“It will be even better. I think that we, the federal coaches, have also contributed to this. When I was playing, everyone was disconnected, each on their own with their own coach, and there was a lot of mistrust towards the federation. Instead, we have been good at making ourselves available to the players, creating a climate of trust and collaboration. A virtuous circle has been created that is good for everyone. We have coaches working on projects such as those of Arnaldi and Cobolli, and there is Umberto Rianna. We are all together, and the guys are also together. We are a great group, and I am also talking about osteopaths and physiotherapists. Jannik had his elbow treated by Claudio Zanetti, who is one of our specialists on the team. We work well at all levels.“

It’s no coincidence that we’ve won the Davis Cup twice in a row… Will it be third time lucky?

”The plan is to win a third title within the next three years, when we will always be playing at home. We have such a rich and varied team that when someone can’t make it, there are others who are doing well. Even at Wimbledon, we had the early exits of Berrettini and Musetti, but we balanced that with the good news of three Italians in the round of 16, with a rediscovered Sonego, Cobolli in the quarterfinals, and Jannik’s title. We won Wimbledon, guys.”