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Fabio Fognini hasn't taken kindly to his exclusion from Italy's Davis Cup squad.
On Thursday, September 7, Team Italy captain Filippo Volandri announced the squad for the group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup which will take place from September 12 to 17 in Bologna.
Lorenzo Musetti (World No. 18), Lorenzo Sonego (World No. 39), Matteo Arnaldi (World No. 61), Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (World No. 43 and No. 41 respectively in the world doubles rankings) have made it to the squad.
Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, and Fognini are the notable omissions from the team, which will be up against defending champions Canada, Chile, and Sweden in the group stage.
After the squad was announced, Fognini took to social media to express his disappointment at not getting selected. He stated his pride in representing his country and hit back at rumors stating that he requested to be left out of the Davis Cup squad.
"Wearing the blue, feeling the warmth of the public, competing in packed arenas with our fans in tow even on unthinkable away games has always encouraged me to give 110%. And although the away games were tough and the season was very long, with ranking goals to be achieved, I never had any doubts: playing for Italy is the most rewarding thing in the world for an athlete and especially for me," he said.
"On the eve of Davis' umpteenth challenge, I find myself, in spite of myself, out of the squad. I read in some press organs that I would have decided and requested to take a step back, to rest and catch my breath. Fake and itchy!" he added.
Fognini further stated that he was unhappy with being told that he was no longer in the national team's plans and that he wasn't given any justifiable reasons for not getting picked.
"On Monday, while I was in Genoa, the captain's call came to me: suddenly I no longer fit into the plans, without justifiable explanations and in ways that I didn't agree with, disrespectful of my history and my Italian past, because until lastly I was informed that I would be in the squad and available to take to the field and for this reason I decided to train and play the Challenger to the best of my strength to be ready and available," he said.
"I'm sorry that clarity and sincerity was not used. My story doesn't deserve it," he expressed.
Filippo Volandri explains Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, and Fabio Fognini's omissions from Italy's Davis Cup squad
Jannik Sinner was recently in action at the 2023 US Open, where he made a Round of 16 exit following defeat to Alexander Zverev. Matteo Berrettini, meanwhile, was forced to retire in the second round in New York after injuring his right ankle.
Italy's Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri has stated that Sinner hasn't been included in the team as he needs rest following a hard-fought campaign at Flushing Meadows. He also wished Berrettini well in his injury recovery.
“We wish Jannik a good rest, we know that the Davis Cup is close to his heart, he has shown it in the past. Matteo was unlucky once again, he was ready to play, we expect him for our next matches,” he said (via wirenewsfax).
On Fognini's omission, Volandri stated that the 36-year-old's results justified him not getting picked. He further explained “the need to have players offering maximum guarantees” on the international stage.
