"This tennis calendar is insanely long!" - Martina Navratilova congratulates Italy on Davis Cup win and blasts the tour's grueling schedule
On Sunday, Italy beat Australia 2-0 in the final of the 2023 Davis Cup, to clinch their first title in 47 years. Matteo Arnaldi defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin in a three-set thriller, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, to give Italy the lead. Then, Jannik Sinner locked horns with World No. 12 Alex de Minaur. The World No. 4 showcased his dominance as he downed the Aussie in straight sets, conceding just three games, 6-3, 6-0, to hand Italy the title.
Tennis legend, Martina Navratilova took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the Italians on their triumph for their 2-0 victory at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain. She also took the opportunity to criticize the tightly packed schedule of both ATP and WTA tournaments, which start in January and go until the end of November.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion expressed her frustrations at the intense scheduling of tennis tournaments across the year, a persistent problem that has only gotten worse in her opinion. She emphasized the need for a longer off-season in tennis. Navratilova posted:
"Congrats to Italy for winning #DavisCup, but seriously- this tennis calendar is insanely long! Been a problem for decades and if anything it’s getting worse. Tennis needs an offseason that’s longer than what we have now…hello????"
A brief look into Italy's title run at the 2023 Davis Cup
Italy was drawn with Canada, Sweden and Chile in the group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. They suffered an early setback, losing to Canada, but secured their knockout stage berth after wins over Sweden and Chile.
In the quarterfinals, the Italians locked horns with the Netherlands. The Dutch took a 1-0 lead as Botic van de Zandschulp beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(7). Then, 2023 ATP Finals runner-up Jannik Sinner defeated Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-1. In the doubles tie, the Dutch duo of Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof lost to the pairing of Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6, as the Italians progressed into the last four.
In the semifinals, Italy found themselves trailing once again after Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-1 in the opening rubber. World No. 4 Jannik Sinner was tasked with pulling Italy back in the tie with a win over 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Although the World No. 1 fought hard, the Italian came up clutch with the win in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, forcing a doubles decider. Sinner paired up with Lorenzo Sonego to beat Serbia's duo of Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to secure Italy's first final at the World Cup of Tennis since 1998.
In the final, Italy defeated Australia 2-0 to clinch the Davis Cup trophy for the first time in 47 years as Matteo Arnaldi and Jannik Sinner came up with the wins in the final.