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Italy's new group of male tennis stars are all-court players

May 11, 2021 636

BY: Andrew Dampf

Jannik Sinner is just as comfortable on the hard courts of Miami as he is on the red clay of Rome, where he’s scheduled to face Rafael Nadal on Wednesday. Lorenzo Musetti modeled his all-court game after Roger Federer. And Matteo “The Hammer” Berrettini has one of the biggest serve-forehand combinations in tennis. The Italian men that are starting to crowd the ATP's Top 100 — there are currently 10 ranked that high, a national record that arrives just in time for this week’s Italian Open — are all-court players.

That’s a major shift for a country once known for producing clay-court specialists. And one that has not had a men’s Grand Slam singles champion in 45 years — since Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open (Italy’s women have been more successful, including Francesca Schiavone’s championship at Roland Garros in 2010 and Flavia Pennetta’s at the U.S. Open in 2015).

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SOURCE: https://buffalonews.com

TAG : Sport Tennis Jannik Sinner Matteo Berrettini

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