Davis Cup Final recaps: Matteo Berrettini a hero as Italy wins the event again

Matteo Berrettini wasn't supposed to be in this position. Instead, he was supposed to be a fill-in in case Jannik Sinner or Lorenzo Musetti were injured. Neither was, but Musetti was terrible in Italy's opening 2024 Davis Cup Final tie with Argentina, so Italy benched him and replaced him with Berrettini. It turned out to be a brilliant move.

Berrettini helped set up Italy to get into the final with a passionate and powerful performance in the semifinals. The oft-injured Italian is not without talent, of course, and he has one of the best forehands in all of tennis when he is healthy, but he simply has not been able to consistently stay on the court. Musetti was the higher-ranked player and appeared poised to help Sinner win for Italy.

Berrettini came back a day later after his semifinal showing, though, and was even more dominant in the final. He destroyed Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-4 6-2 and the Dutchman had been playing well. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the Netherlands versus Spain tie, which helped lead directly to Nadal's retirement ceremony. But against Berrettini's immense power, Van De Zandschlup was actually quite powerless.

Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner lead Italy to a second straight Davis Cup Final victory

This meant that top-ranked Sinner only needed to defeat Tallon Griekspoor to seal the Davis Cup victory for Italy for the second straight year. Griekspoor played well, forcing Sinner to a first-set tie-break that the Italian won 7-2, and after getting broken early in the second set, Griekspoor was able to even the set at 2-all. That would be the last game he would win, however.

Whether Sinner elevated his form to a level Griekspoor was physically unable to match, or the Dutchman ran out of proverbial gas, or both, something changed because Sinner took complete control of the match after being broken. The only drama coming after leading 40-love with a chance to serve out the championship, Griekspoor was able to get back to deuce.

As young as Sinner is, and safely assuming Musetti improves and rounds back into form, Italy might be the dominant presence at the Davis Cup for years to come. Two straight wins might turn into four or five. One cannot truly ever count out Sinner, Italy, or Berrettini, either.

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