TEARS OF JOY FOR ITALY'S 3 IN A ROW

Captain Volandri hails 'unbelievable' feat after winning Davis Cup without big players

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Italy captured a remarkable third consecutive Davis Cup title on Nov 23, with Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli winning their singles matches for a 2-0 triumph over Spain in the best-of-three tie in Bologna.

Inspired by loud support from the home crowd, Berrettini dispatched Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4 in the opening match, before Cobolli overcame Jaume Munar 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to seal the triumph for Filippo Volandri's team.

The victory over six-time winners Spain marked Italy's fourth Davis Cup crown overall, following wins in 1976, 2023 and 2024.

Italy also became the first nation since the United States (1968-1972) to win three consecutive Davis Cup titles.

Both teams were missing key players, with Spain deprived of Carlos Alcaraz and Italy without Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.

But Berrettini and Cobolli rose to the occasion magnificently.

"It's the third consecutive one. I'm crying. I didn't cry for the first one. It's unbelievable. This is a big, big team. Some of them not even here: Sinner, Musetti, (Matteo) Arnaldi," Volandri said.

The head of the International Tennis Federation insisted on Nov 23 that top players are not snubbing the Davis Cup.