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Fabio Fognini recently relived his epic match point against Rafael Nadal at the 2015 Rio Open.
Fognini is a former World No. 9 who has been on the tour for more than 20 years. The Italian has won nine singles titles. He also won the 2015 men's doubles Australian Open alongside compatriot Simone Bolelli.
The 36-year-old was a force to be reckoned with on clay courts, winning eight out of his nine singles titles on red clay. He also won the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters and was a quarterfinalist at the 2011 Roland Garros.
The 2024 Rio Open began on 17 February. Ahead of the event, Tennis TV shared Fognini's match point win against the former World No .1 during their match in the semifinals in 2015.
"Prime Fognini was scary 🤯 @fabiofogna," they captioned the post.
Fabio Fognini reshared the post on his Instagram Story and reminisced on the time he defeated the Spaniard.
"good times," he wrote.
Fognini defeated the 22-time Grand Slam champion 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the finals, but was defeated by David Ferrer 2-6, 3-6 in the title clash.
Fabio Fognini and Rafael Nadal head-to-head explored
Fabio Fognini and Rafael Nadal have faced each other 18 times in their careers, with the former World No. 1 leading 14-4. They have met 9 times on clay courts and hardcourts each.
Defeating the 14-time French Open champion on clay is considered to be one of the toughest feats to achieve in the sport. The Italian claycourt specialist is one of the very few players who has defeated the 37-year-old multiple times on clay. Some other players who have achieved this feat are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray.
Fognini's first clay win against the Spaniard came in 2015 at the Rio Open when the Italian defeated him in a tough three-setter 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals, bringing an end to his title defense. His second win came at the Barcelona Open the same year, when he defeated Nadal in the Round of 16 in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(6).
Fabio Fognini's final clay win against Nadal came at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters when he completely dominated the three-time defending champion 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals and went on to lift the title.
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