At Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco, Fabio Fognini needs no introduction. 35-year-old Italian lifted the title in Principality in 2019, causing a major upset en route to his title run. He beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semifinal before downing Dusan Lajovic in the final to claim his maiden Masters 1000 title. Fast forward to 2022 and the Italian is in the second round in Monaco. He edged past Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in his tournament opener to set up a mouthwatering second-round clash against the defending champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Speaking to Prakash Amritraj, the presenter at the Tennis Channel, Fognini tried to pull Tsitsipas’ leg ahead of his clash against the young Greek.

What Does Fabio Fognini Expect?

With Fognini set to lock horns against Tsitsipas, it will be a clash between the defending champion and the champion when the tournament last witnessed a full house in Principality. Replying to Amritraj’s question about his upcoming match, pulling Tsitsipas’s leg, Fognini said, “I think mine was better”, in comparison to Tsitsipas’ title run last year.

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Further, he will look for some support from the capacity crowd for the upcoming clash. “I mean, I love playing the crown, especially here. Let’s say 75 percent are Italian so hopefully, they gonna come for my next match because I need their support.” He said.

“It’s gonna be a really tough match but you know I am working for this kind of matches because I am 35 I am not 20 anymore so it’s a bit a small present because I would still like to you know if I still have this kind of tennis. This kind of quality to play against great player like him.” He added.

Tsitsipas and Fognini will battle it out on Tuesday afternoon in Principality.

Fognini vs Tsitsipas head-head

Both Tsitsipas and Fognini, relish playing on clay. The young Greek leads their head-head record 3-0 so far on the ATP tour. In their only clash on clay, Tsitsipas breezed past his senior opponent 6-4, 6-3 in Rome in 2019. Though Tsitsipas is struggling for consistency so far this season, he should start as a strong favorite in his clash against the veteran Italian.

However, the young Greek cannot afford any complacency against Fognini. The veteran certainly has immense potential to trouble Tsistsipas with his ‘lazy elegance’.

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Can Tsitsipas win his opening round encounter against Fognini to stay in the hunt for his title defense? Or Will Fognini stun the young Greek?

An intriguing clash awaits us in Monaco on Tuesday!