Rome (AFP)

Youth with Sinner and Musetti.

Confidence with Berrettini or Sonego.

The experience with Fognini.

Italian tennis confirms its good health this spring and greedily tackles the Masters 1000 in Rome which begins this Sunday.

"Italy has rediscovered tennis", rejoices ex-Italian champion Paolo Bertolucci, delighted that the good results of the Azzurri have "awakened" the passion for the little yellow ball in the land of calcio.

"I see it when I go to get gasoline. Before it was only hello, good evening. Today I am asked about Sinner and Musetti, I am asked if Italy can win the Davis Cup ... ", he told the Corriere dello Sport on Friday.

The Davis Cup, however, Italy has won it only once, in 1976. But the ambitions once buried are no longer.

In the wake of the good Roland-Garros last fall, with two Azzurri in the eighth for the first time in the Open era (since 1968), the year has started well.

With titles for Matteo Berrettini (Belgrade), Lorenzo Sonego (Cagliari) and Jannik Sinner (Melbourne).

And two Masters 1000 finals, the most important category after the Grand Slams (Sinner beaten in Miami and Berrettini this Sunday in Madrid), a pleasure that the Italians had only known once, with the victory of Fognini in Monte -Carlo in 2019.

- "No coincidence" -

Sign of this prosperous period, Italian tennis placed in April for the first time ten representatives in the Top 100. With in particular the two youngest players, with Jannik Sinner (18th) and Lorenzo Musetti (83rd), aged 19.

"It's wonderful to be so many," said Sonego a month ago before winning the tournament in Cagliari.

"We support each other and there is no coincidence, when one has good results, the others follow."

While recalling his "neutrality", the president of ATP, the Italian Andrea Gaudenzi, does not hide his "admiration": "What is striking is the mixture of experienced players who can still give a lot like Fognini , young champions already established like Berrettini and partly Sonego, and hopes capable of marking the next decade ", he confided to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

"With Sinner and Musetti, we're fine for the next ten years," recently also assured "veteran" Fabio Fognini (28th in the world), who will be 34 in two weeks.

In Rome, they are at least eight in the main draw, while waiting for the final qualifiers.

- "Tip of the iceberg" -

What to hope for some good "perfs" on the Foro Italico even if the Italians are far from being favorites in a tournament which is the preserve of Rafael Nadal (9 titles) and Novak Djokovic (5 titles).

The last Italian to win there is Adriano Panatta, still in 1976, the year he also won Roland Garros and won the best world ranking ever obtained by an Italian (4th).

For Bertolucci, the "key factor" of this golden age of Azzurro is that Italian tennis has emerged from its "provincialism": "Technicians have understood that tennis is international and that it is necessary to go face to face with challenges. 'other schools in the world, young people have understood it too, "he said.

"I like to think that these good results are the tip of the iceberg and that, below the surface, there is a lot of work from the whole sector, with dozens and dozens of international tournaments in all regions. of Italy ", underlines the president of the Italian Federation Angelo Binaghi, recalling in particular that Turin will host the Masters from this year.

The manager also sees the impact of the strong development in Italy of padel, a sport derived from tennis.

In Rome, the expected return of the public will not be the least of the motivations for the Italian players.

To taste the applause, however, they must succeed in reaching the eighth, the doors not reopening to fans until next Thursday.

© 2021 AFP