Davis Cup 2022: Italy in Bologna celebrates 100 years since its first appearance in the tournament

Italy in

began its adventure in

on the grass fields of Roehampton, a historic club near Wimbledon, where a weak and inexperienced Italian team was beaten by the hosts.

In the following years still many defeats, interspersed with sporadic successes against second-rate opponents such as Portugal and Holland.

The turning point, however, came in 1928, when the leadership of the blue Davis Cup team was entrusted to

.

With him in the double role of captain-player, with

and with the doubler

, Italy had a competitive formation for the first time: in 1928 and 1930 the Azzurri won the European draw and then surrendered to the United States in the interzone final.

In 1932 another European final, then a long opaque period interspersed with the Second World War.

After being readmitted to the Davis Cup draw, Cucelli and Marcello Del Bello, joined by his brother Rolando and Fausto Gardini, reach an interzone semifinal (1949) and an interzone final (1952).

We are approaching the era of

, protagonists of a decade that culminated in two consecutive finals in 1960 and 1961. The first reached after recovering a 2-0 disadvantage against the United States in the interzone final of Perth, the second conquered in Rome with a sharp 4-1 always against the Americans.

On both occasions it was the very strong Australia of Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser to stop the Azzurri's race in the final.

In those years the famous quartet composed of

capable of winning four finals in five years, including the victorious one in Santiago (1976).

The others would arrive in '77 (in Australia), '79 (USA) and '80 (Czechoslovakia).

The Davis Cup format was different from the current one.

The participating teams, divided into 56 nations, were organized in blocks, including 32 teams from the European zone, 12 from the Asian zone and 12 from the American zone.

From the four zones (Europe divided in two), therefore, 4 winners would have emerged, able to face each other in the semifinals and in the final.

The 1976 Davis Cup final, between

, was played in a critical climate from an ideological and political point of view;

after the Soviet Union refused to play the match against Chile, there was a lot of talk in Italy about the possibility of boycotting the match, which was to be held in Chile. One of the elements on the table was that the challenge between the two national teams it had been organized inside the national stadium of Chile, a place that had been used as a concentration camp for political opponents.

For this reason, various political parties and groups have pushed for the challenge not to be disputed.

Eventually, the Andreotti government decided to leave the floor to the Italian tennis federation, which pushed for Italy's participation.

In the match of the double Panatta and Bertolucci wore a red T-shirt as a sign of protest as also told in the documentary that tells the historical final.

Italy won the match four to one, leaving the only victory to Chile, in the final match with the result already acquired by the Italian national team.

His seventh final, the only one played in his homeland, Italy reached it in 1998, being defeated by

in Milan.

Just a year and a half later, however, the same team that had reached the final was the protagonist of the relegation to Group 1, where the rejuvenated national team of captain Barazzutti was the protagonist in September 2005 and in 2006 in two exciting and unfortunate play-offs-promotion against Rafael Nadal's Spain first in Torre del Greco and then in Santander and was blocked in 2007 by a defeat in Israel.

2008 is the year of Italy's success in the play-off against Latvia (3-2) to stay in Group I.

federtennis

Italy wins the Davis Cup in 1976 in Chile

Groups and curiosities

GROUP A (Bologna)

In the Croatian national team there will be 

, and it will be up to Nino Serdarusic, n.251 of the world, to take over.

The Croatian n.1 will therefore be Borna Coric, recently winner of the Masters1000 in Cincinnati.

The departure of the Roland Garros semifinalist leaves Argentina more chances to fight for the other place in the quarterfinals.

There shouldn't be too many problems for the Azzurri to overcome the group.

Greater problems for Sweden who risk closing with a 0-3.

Italy: Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Fabio Fognini, Simone Bolelli.

Captain: Filippo Volandri

Croatia: Borna Coric, Borna Gojo, Nino Serdarusic, Mate Pavic, Nikola Mektic.

Captain: Vedran Martic

Argentina: Diego Schwartzman, Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez, Horacio Zeballos, Maximo Gonzalez.

Captain: Guillermo Coria

Sweden: Mikael Ymer, Elias Ymer, Dragos Nicolae Madaras, Jonathan Mridha, Andre Goransson.

Captain: Johan Hedsberg

GROUP B (Valencia)

Having become number one in the world after triumphing in Flushing Meadows,

confirms his presence and Spain should not have any problems even without Nadal.

Perhaps Serbia will have the problem, which does not have Djokovic and Canada finds itself with Felix Auger-Aliassime recalled to the competition.

South Korea on paper is only equipped with a good singles player and does not seem to be able to be the protagonist.

Spain: Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Pedro Martinez, Marcel Granollers.

Captain: Sergi Bruguera

Serbia: Miomir Kecmanovic, Filip Krajinovic, Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Nikola Cacic.

Captain: Viktor Troicki

Canada: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Vasek Pospisil, Alexis Galarneau, Gabriel Diallo.

Captain: Frank Dancevic

South Korea: Soon-woo Kwon, Seong-chan Hong, Ji-sung Nam, Min-kyu Song.

Captain: Seungkyu Park

GROUP C (Hamburg)

German

due to edema.

Grouping with a good balance, in which perhaps only Belgium pays for the lack of a second singles player at the level of David Goffin.

It is very likely that in this group the doubles will be decisive for the passage of the round.

Germany: Oscar Otte, Jan-Lennard Struff, Tim Puetz, Kevin Krawietz.

Captain: Michael Kohlmann

France: Adrian Mannarino, Benjamin Bonzi, Arthur Rinderknech, Richard Gasquet, Nicolas Mahut.

Captain: Sebastian Grosjean

Belgium: David Goffin, Zizou Bergs, Michael Geerts, Sander Gillé, Joran Vliegen.

Captain: Johan van Herck

Australia: Alex de Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jason Kubler, Max Purcell, Matthew Ebden.

Captain: Lleyton Hewitt

GROUP D (Glasgow)

Great Britain and the United States

remain favorites to reach the quarterfinals, even if the States will miss Frances Tiafoe (renounces) and captain Mardy Fish (Covid: Bob Bryan replaces him, for once alone and without his twin Mike).

But both Kazakhs and Dutch may hold some surprises.

Great Britain: Cameron Norrie, Daniel Evans, Andy Murray, Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski.

Captain: Leon Smith

United States: Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Jack Sock, Rajeev Ram.

Captain: Bob Bryan

Kazakhstan: Alexander Bublik, Mikhail Kukushkin, Dmitry Popko, Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Andrey Golubev.

Captain: Yuriy Schukin

Netherlands: Botic van de Zandschulp, Tallon Griekspoor, Tim van Rijthoven, Wesley Koolhof, Matwé Middelkoop.

Captain: Paul Haarhuis