'I think it’s a good time to say goodbye': Fabio Fognini confirms this year's Rome Open will be his last

Italy’s veteran player Fabio Fognini has confirmed that this year’s Rome Open will be his last appearance in the competition. The ATP 1000 event began on Wednesday, where top players from all over the world are participating to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

Veteran Italian player Fognini is one of those players who will feature in the competition. The 37-year-old is set to begin his campaign against Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in the round of 128 clash on Thursday. Ahead of his first match of the competition, Fognini revealed that this will be the last time he will feature in this competition. He also highlighted his biggest achievement while playing in the Italian capital, which included a win against Britain’s Andy Murray in 2017.

“Since I was a kid I was coming here to say, ‘Oh let’s see, let’s hope to play one day’. And now I’m in the opposite [time of my career]. I think it’s a good time to say goodbye in this beautiful city, special city,” said Fognini while speaking to Tennis Channel. “But yes, I’m here with a smile on my face because I know that I had a really difficult time during my 15, I don’t know, 16, 20 years in Rome and I would like to enjoy the last lap. One [achievement] is for sure the victory in the night against Andy Murray when he was No. 1 in the world. This one is in the special place, especially here in Rome, for sure. I’d say it’s top three in my career.”

He continued by saying: “I live for [those] moments. My character is like that. I play with passion, and sometimes too much. But I think when I was playing my best tennis here, I think the crowd was really happy to see me beating Andy. I beat Gael, I beat Tsonga, I beat a lot of good players. Of course the dream since I was a kid was winning here. But if I have to be honest, I have now and have in the future also the opportunity to say to Federico and the two girls that I was able to play against Roger, against Rafa, against Andy, against Novak, and this part of my career was really special.”