Feeling Overwhelmed: Fognini Reflects on Nadal and Federer’s Support at the 2019 Laver Cup

Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini shared his experience with the support he received from Swiss player Roger Federer and Spanish player Rafael Nadal during the 2019 Laver Cup. At that event, Fognini lost to American Jack Sock with a score of 1-6, 6-7 (3-7). The European team ultimately triumphed over the World team with a final score of 13-11.

«I felt quite overwhelmed when both of them were behind me. During the changeover, they approached me, and I immediately started talking about my opponent, Jack Sock. But Roger said, ‘No, you need to focus on yourself.’ Then the other one chimed in, so I had two voices in my ears. I returned to the court feeling even more confused. I thought, ‘Nadal and Federer just talked to me, what am I supposed to do on the court now?’ Who would have imagined Federer and Nadal would come up and speak to me, one on my right side and the other on my left? Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t dismiss them. I was a bit taken aback, but it was a wonderful moment,» Fognini remarked, as quoted by Corriere dello Sport.