Fabio Fognini was never a trivial character either on or off the tennis court, until his retirement at the Wimbledon Championships this summer. The former world number 9 had not predicted that the 2025 edition of Wimbledon would be the last tournament of his career, wanting to continue playing at least until the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 in 2026, but his body had sent him clear signals and his performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the first round left everyone speechless.
The Italian ace put the current world number 1 in enormous difficulty on the iconic Centre Court and came close to the feat in the most prestigious tournament in the world, but had to surrender in the fifth set after an electrifying battle that sent fans into raptures.
A short time later, he made the decision to leave professional tennis with immediate effect and communicated it with his usual frankness. Fognini has already started a new chapter in his life and has no regrets, having dedicated most of his life to tennis and having other priorities right now. He has formed a wonderful family together with Flavia Pennetta and is in no hurry to decide his future, which could still be linked to the world of tennis (in another role).
ADVERTISEMENT
Fognini's confession
Interviewed by famous Italian journalist Francesca Fagnani, Fabio revealed that he suffered from panic attacks at some point in his career: "I've never been so bad in my life, I didn't really know what to do. I was very worried, but the nice thing is that I had the courage to rely on a specialist who helped me."
The former Top 10 also added: "That time at Roland Garros was the first ever. It was night and I asked Flavia to call the physiotherapist to go to the hospital. I was sweating and panicking. It's no coincidence that the next day I couldn't even breathe well, it was a horrendous feeling."
The former Italian champion will continue to closely observe professional tennis.
