Fognini's curious comparison when talking about Alcaraz and Sinner: "Jannik is more square"

Carlos Navarro | 16 Sep 2025 | 18.16

Fabio Fognini, in his last Wimbledon, the one of his farewell. Source: Getty

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Fabio Fognini has been the undisputed leader of Italian tennis for over a decade. A regular presence in the elite of the ATP circuit, with huge peaks of play and victories against the greatest legends of the sport, forging a legacy that has paved the way for the current golden Italian generation. Following his retirement at the last Wimbledon, with a loss in a thrilling match against Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian now watches the bulls from the sidelines: few opinions are more respected than his to analyze the rivalry currently shaking the men's tennis world.

Because if Fabio led before, now it is Jannik Sinner the undisputed king not only of Italian tennis but until less than a week ago, also of world tennis. The San Remo native has lived with Jannik during the latter years of his career and has been a direct witness to how his fierce rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz has unfolded, two very different profiles fighting for one common goal: to be the best. In a statement to the Supernova podcast, collected by Ubitennis, Fognini dissects both profiles and leaves behind an interesting comparison.

"For a 24-year-old, Jannik sees things very clearly. He knows he has been 'hit' and that now it's his turn to step out of his comfort zone, do something different next time to defeat Carlos. They are two different players. We, as Italians, know Jannik better, we follow him and cheer for him. In Italy, if you win you're a phenomenon; if you lose, as it happened in the final, they start doubting you. Both remind me of Federer and Nadal in my time. Sinner is 'shaped'. I played with Andreas Seppi: I called him 'kraut' because he came from the mountains. He was half German, half Italian. Jannik is like that, more squared."

On the contrary, Alcaraz seems to enjoy playing tennis. I watched his documentary, he says he goes to Ibiza to have fun after the matches, and that's exactly what I get from him: Alcaraz is someone who has fun and needs that fun off the court. I was like that too, I relate more to that personality., states Fognini, who had the Murcian as his main rival in what would turn out to be, unexpectedly, his last match as a professional. How did that decision come about and why did he choose to announce his retirement the day after his defeat?

A DEFEAT THAT TURNED INTO A VICTORY

"Now that everything is over, I believe I made the best decision. If things had been different, I would have had a big problem. If I had won that match against Alcaraz, I would have had a day off and then faced the world No. 700. It would have been a huge mental challenge for me to start Wimbledon with a win against the world No. 2 on Centre Court, and perhaps end it on Court 14 against the world No. 700. I was the loser of that match, but I came out as a winner. I haven't even watched that match, not even the highlights, but in the future, I would like to because it impressed the fans."

Fabio mentioned that this 2025 started in the worst possible way due to an ankle injury: he would have needed a lot of recovery time and many tournaments on clay to return to the top-100, the "borderline" that somewhat marked his ambition to continue competing. The recent losses led Fabio to consider that there was no better time to hang up his racket than in a match against his good friend Carlos on Wimbledon's Centre Court, an honest confession of a man who, who knows, might now provide the media with the entertainment and joy that his on-court tennis conveyed.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La curiosa comparación de Fognini al hablar de Alcaraz y Sinner: "Jannik es más cuadrado"

fabio fognini