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Italian tennis star Matteo Arnardi, who didn’t have a great season by any chance, finally got to get his hands on some silverware at the end of the year. The World No. 44 has shown great character during his Davis Cup matchup against Australian Alexei Popyrin.
With his brilliant performance in the first match, Italy went one step closer to clinching the Davis Cup yet again after almost 50 years. Arnaldi started the match in fine fashion against an evenly-matched opponent in Popyrin.
Arnaldi bagged the first set but went on to mess things up in the second. He finally got things into place, eventually winning the match by 5-7, 6-2, and 4-6, thus making things easier for Jannik Sinner, who just needed a win in Match 2.
After the win, Arnaldi stated how emotional it was for him after going through tough times in the last couple of weeks due to the demise of someone really close.
Arnaldi expressed his pride in how much participation in the Davis Cup has meant for him. He stated that even if he had lost the game, he would have accepted the fact with open arms.
It’s very emotional.. because a very important person passed away a month ago for me & my girlfriend. This is for him. She doesn’t know what it means for me.Arnaldi said at the on-court post-match interview
He further added:
Also for my country. It was very emotional to play. I didn’t play much the last few weeks. I was happy after the first match even if I lost. Now I won 1 of the most important matches of my life. I don’t know what to say right now.
How did Matteo Arnaldi hold his nerve when it mattered the most?
Matteo Arnaldi started the most important match of his life with great grit and determination, not allowing Popyrin to settle down. He played like a man on a mission, bagging the first set by 5-7.
However, things went a bit tricky from here on as the Italian started committing bad mistakes, leading to him giving away easy points. It was simply visible how much pressure young Arnaldi felt on his shoulders, which led to him losing the second set without any major fight.
Even after the match, Arnaldi talked about how unhappy he was with his gameplay during the latter parts of the match. He said:
I was playing pretty bad, I think. The second and third set, one of the worst of this year. But, you know, it was – important for me to play every point, to stay there and try something.
However, for someone who hasn’t yet made it to the Top 35 rankings in tennis, it was nothing unusual to face such pressure. He was constantly being outplayed by Popyrin, which thereby forced four break points in his five service games in the third set. Despite causing over eight break points, Arnaldi was happy to get the job done and do his part in bringing the glorious Davis Cup back to Italy.
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