Boris Becker gave his verdict after Jannik Sinner-led Italian men's team and Jasmine Paolini-led women's team won the 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles, respectively.
At the Billie Jean King Cup final, Italy faced off against Slovakia. Lucia Bronzetti gave Italy the lead after a dominant 6-2, 6-4 win over Viktoria Hruncakova. The country's top-ranked woman Jasmine Paolini sealed the title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Rebecca Sramkova.
Meanwhile, the Davis Cup Finals saw Italy lock horns with the Netherlands for the title. Matteo Berrettini breezed past the challenge of Botic van de Zandschulp with a 6-4, 6-2 score before World No. 1 Sinner wrapped up the fixture with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win against Tallon Griekspoor. The win ensured back-to-back titles for the Azzurri in the year-ending competition.
Becker took to social media to reflect on Italy's success in both the tournament. The German congratulated the side, saying they were "ruling the tennis world."
"Congratulations for winning both team competitions! Italy is ruling the tennis world," Boris Becker wrote on his Instagram stories.
Italy became just the fifth nation in history to win both the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup in the same year. Apart from Sinner and Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Simone Bolelli, and Andrea Vavassori represented the men's team. Meanwhile, Martina Trevisan, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Sara Errani completed the women's side.
Jannik Sinner "very proud" of Italy's Davis Cup Finals title triumph
Jannik Sinner made his feelings known after Italy's title triumph at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. The two-time Grand Slam champion expressed pride at his team's performance as he reflected on the hard work that goes behind the scenes.
"It has been an amazing year. I’m very proud of the whole team. There is a lot of work behind it and I’m very happy to hold this trophy again. It was a very difficult day today, because anything can happen," Sinner said, as per the ATP Tour.
Sinner's teammate Matteo Berrettini also expressed delight after the team's back-to-back win in the tournament. He harked back on last year's success when he supported the team from the stands.
The Italian, who could not play then due to injury, maintained that the whole team "always put hearts on the court" regardless of who is playing.
"I’m just so happy. Obviously last year I was here to support the team, and this year I brought some points to the cause. But it doesn’t matter who is playing, we always put our heart on the court. Everybody is giving their best, that is the secret to our team," Berrettini said.
Italy finished off what has been an amazing year in team events. They achieved success at the Paris Olympics as well. Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani won gold in the women's doubles while Lorenzo Musetti claimed the bronze medal in the singles event.