Fabio Fognini says if he was criticised more in tennis or on Dancing with the Stars as he reaches final

Shortly after, Fognini was confirmed as a contestant on the newest series of ‘Ballando con le Stelle’, the Italian dancing competition.

Taking to the dancefloor with the same grace he showed on the tennis court, Fognini booked his place in the final.

Celebrating the result, Fognini spoke to Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta and shared how much criticism he’s received during the competition.

Fabio Fognini says he is criticised more when dancing than during his tennis career

As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Panatta and Fognini exchanged words backstage.

“I’m honest, Fabio [Fognini] is among the top five hands of all time,” said Panatta.

“An absolute talent. At Ballando, he learned to be more disciplined, since he was very good on the court but rather over the top.

“Let’s say he was also a little bizarre, since you could sometimes see him go crazy during a match.

“That said, he made the history of Italian tennis.”

Fognini then told Panatta how he’s found his time on the Italian version of ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

“Believe me, Adriano [Panatta], I’ve had a wonderful journey both here in tennis and now here on Ballando,” he said.

“I’ve had a blast. I’ve accepted criticism more here than on the court, that’s for sure!

“The journey I had with the racket was truly beautiful.”

Fognini’s journey on ‘Ballando’ will come to an end this weekend, as he looks to win the title on Saturday, December 30.

How many titles did Fabio Fognini win during his career?

The Italian has a chance to win another trophy this Saturday, but how many did he win during his tennis career?

He won his first title at the Stuttgart Open in 2013, defeating Phillip Kohlschreiber on clay.

Enjoying more success on German clay, he added another title to his collection later that month at the Hamburg Open.

A year later, Fognini travelled to South America and won the Chile Open, taking down Leonardo Mayer in the final.

After going two years without a title, the Italian won one in 2016 (Croatia) and 2017 (Switzerland), as he continued to play his best tennis on the clay.

He then enjoyed the best year of his career in 2018, winning three ATP Tour titles.

Fognini won the Brasil Open, the Swedish Open, and the Los Cabos Open, picking up his first hard-court title.

Finally, in 2019, Fognini won the last and the biggest title of his career, emerging victorious at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Along with his nine singles titles, Fognini won eight times in doubles.

His biggest triumph came at the 2015 Australian Open, winning the title alongside his countryman Simone Bolelli.

Fognini retired in 2025 as one of the greatest Italian players of his generation, reaching a career-high ranking of ninth.