Tennis, Fabio Fognini's Puglian air after his departure. A future as a coach?

He chose the sea that feels like home, the complicit silence of those who have always welcomed him without asking too many questions. After the last handshake on the grass at Wimbledon, this time Fabio Fognini chose the heart. His own. And that of those who have long given him a corner of normality, away from the spotlight. No microphone, no center court. Only Brindisi, his second home, the place he returns to whenever he can, the safe haven where he can escape and rediscover himself. It is from here that he wanted to speak to his fans. A different, more intimate message. Because here, between the quiet of Puglia and true love, even a farewell can feel like a new beginning.

"That moment has arrived that, deep down, I knew would come, even though a part of me hoped it would never happen," Fabio wrote on his social media channels. "The decision wasn't easy, but I feel this is the right time. TENNIS (written strictly in capital letters, editor's note) has been my universe: it shaped me, it made me grow, it taught me resilience, strength, and patience, both in victory and defeat. It has given me so much more than I could have imagined, and for that I will always be grateful. Thank you to all the coaches, collaborators, and sponsors who have accompanied me along the way; thank you to my friends and everyone who has supported me, in the exciting days and the most difficult ones. Your love has made this journey unforgettable."

Without forgetting my loved ones, Flavia Pennetta and her three wonderful children, Federico, Farah, and Flaminia: "And then my family, the cornerstone of all my successes. Thank you, Mom and Dad: without you, nothing would have been possible. And to you, little sister, thank you for always being my number one fan. FLAVIA (also strictly in capital letters—Editor's note), you are the woman, mother, and life partner I've always dreamed of. You have been, are, and will always be my role model. Thank you for giving me a dream family: three splendid little ones who are my reason for living. An important chapter in my life is coming to a close. I leave with a heart full of joy, proud of the journey I've made, and curious to discover what the future holds. One thing is certain: my bond with tennis doesn't end here. See you soon, tennis. See you soon, my lover."

His tennis was a constant whirlwind, a slap in the face of predictability. Fabio Fognini never adapted to the game of others. He always preferred to respond with his own. Unconventional, temperamental, unpredictable. But also marvelous. At times, brilliant. That racket, for him, was a wand. Sometimes magical, sometimes out of control. But always true.

Talent and torment, genius and recklessness, but also numbers that will remain in history: world number 9 in 2019, winner of 9 ATP singles titles, 31 career matches won against top 20 players, a Grand Slam doubles title in Melbourne in 2015 alongside Simone Bolelli, a Davis Cup narrowly missed, a Top 10 finish achieved in an era when it seemed impossible for an Italian: that of the likes of Roger Feder, Rafa Nadal, Nole Djokovic, and Andy Murray, to name just a few.

But Fognini was much more than his results. He was a character, a way of speaking, an attitude. Someone who gave his all on the pitch, even when he should have left something out. Someone who never cheated, not even on bad days. And even when he made mistakes, he did so openly.

His masterpiece? Perhaps Monte Carlo 2019, when he defeated Nadal on the Monegasque clay with a performance bordering on perfection. Surreal tennis, backhands that traced unreal arcs, the Majorcan cornered like almost no one had ever managed. From there, the most prestigious title of his career and a crack at the world's top ten. A dream that seemed tailor-made for others, but which he wanted to make come true in his own way: with talent, not by conforming.

Always by his side, a woman who has shared his battles on other courts: Flavia Pennetta, Grand Slam champion and mother of his three children. With her, he has built a family that exudes the flavor of Puglia and the echoes of great sporting achievements: the "five Fs" family. A new life awaits them, far from the commute, the tournaments, the controversies, and the applause.

But Fognini, deep down, isn't truly gone. He lives on in those kids who today hit open-stance backhands thinking of him, and whom he will try to "discover" on courts across Italy. He lives on in that courage to never be a copy, not even of himself. He lives on in the impossible matches he overturned with a single blow, and in the ones he lost when they seemed already won. Because Fabio's career isn't measured by statistics, but by the intensity of the emotions he has engendered.

We met him in a moment suspended between past and future. More relaxed, more thoughtful, but still Fabio.

An exit that smacks of romance. Was it the tennis farewell you'd dreamed of?

I'd imagined it so many ways, but never so… true. I always thought I couldn't handle a ceremony, a lap of honor. And instead, I was as emotional as a child. I experienced it as a man, not as an athlete. I've come full circle and now I can look forward without regrets. And all of this happened before the eyes of my son Federico, a huge fan of Carlos Alcaraz, to whom he gave an autographed jersey.

Thinking about your career, are there more satisfactions or regrets?

We all have regrets, but the satisfactions weigh even more. I've won on every continent, I've been part of the Italian team, I've lifted a Masters 1000 title, and I've been in the top ten in the world. Ten-year-old Fabio dreamed of all this. He holds on to the one he is today.

If you could relive just one match, not for the result but for the emotions, which one would you choose?

Monte Carlo 2019. But not for the title, but for how I experienced it. In those days, I was light, clear-headed, and serene. I had recently become a father and felt a strength inside me that I had never felt before. That victory wasn't just mine.

Flavia left before her: did she help her understand when it was the right time to stop?

Absolutely. Flavia has always had the ability to see things a step ahead. When she said enough, she did it with her head and her heart. It took me longer, but I had a woman by my side who knows tennis better than anyone. She made me understand that stopping isn't losing, but choosing yourself.

What did Flavia teach you, both as a champion and as a wife and mother?

Patience. Balance. The ability to remain silent when necessary and fight when the time is right. She's a woman who left her mark on sport and on my life. If I am who I am today, I owe it partly to her. And to those three wonderful earthquakes we brought into the world.

Champion dad and champion mom: will you advise your children to pursue a career as professional tennis players?

"Only if it's their choice. No pressure. Tennis is wonderful, but it takes a lot out of you. If they want to try, we'll be there. If they want to do something completely different, we'll be there anyway. What matters is that they're happy, not that they win."

Brindisi feels like home to you today. What do you like most about this city and its people?

"The truth. The people of Brindisi don't pretend, they look you in the eye. There's warmth, there's passion. When I walk downtown with Flavia or go to the bar for a coffee, I feel like a local. Brindisi welcomed me without asking for anything in return. And it's a wonderful feeling."

Italian tennis is enjoying a golden moment with Sinner and many others. How proud are you of having paved that path?

"Proud, yes, but also happy like an older brother. Seeing Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli... is confirmation that we've done well. And I'm not just talking about results, but about culture, about mentality. We're no longer the ones who missed opportunities."

And what about tennis in Puglia? It's given us so much in recent years, especially the women's game. What's missing?

"We need structures, vision, and patience. Puglia has enormous potential. It demonstrated it with Flavia, with Roberta (Vinci), and with many others. But we need to invest in children, in sports in schools. The talent is there, it just needs to be nurtured."

Today in Brindisi for a well-deserved holiday, and then what?

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Flavia's victory at the US Open, and I'd love to be there with my whole family to enjoy it as tourists.

What will he do when he… grows up?

I'm enjoying my time. Maybe I'll be a full-time dad, maybe I'll work with kids, scouting for the best talent to launch into professional tennis. All I know is that I won't be returning to the tour just to be there. If one day I decide to teach, it will be out of passion, not nostalgia. Because tennis has been my life. But now a new one begins.

FLAVIA PENNETTA: "I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE 'HIDDEN' MAN"

"You made me cry, too, this time. But they were tears of joy." She didn't write it under a post. She didn't shout it to the world. Flavia Pennetta chose the silence of truth. "She wrote from the heart, as she always does. And I know that heart better than anyone," was Flavia's emotional comment on Fabio Fognini's social media dedication.

Yes, because certain stories are best told through the eyes of those who have experienced them firsthand. Flavia Pennetta has seen Fognini through his best days and his toughest. She knew him on courts around the world, when tennis was their only common language. Today, she watches him as he hangs up his racket, not without melancholy, but with that lightheartedness that only comes from those who have given their all. "Fabio is a man who has never been afraid to show himself as he is. Sometimes he paid for this, but I believe that has always been his strength. It's true, he's impulsive, he's instinctive, but he's also transparent. He's someone who puts his heart and soul into the game, for better or for worse. And off the court, in life, he's the same."

He saw him win in Monte Carlo, break into the Top 10, challenge Nadal and Djokovic without ever feeling inferior. Just as he saw and supported him in his final, epic appearance at Wimbledon against Alcaraz. But he also saw him when he was forced to stop, when his ankles wouldn't even allow him to train anymore. "Those moments were tough. Fabio isn't one to complain, but after years of pain and bandages, he knew he had to have surgery. Two surgeries, a slow restart, and that feeling that his body could no longer follow his mind. But he never gave up, never. Not even when tennis seemed to be slipping away forever." He came back, tried again, got back in the game. Because Fognini, before being a champion, was always a fighter. "He was too pure a talent to be tamed, and maybe that's why people loved him so much. Because he was different, because he didn't pretend. He never tried to be something he wasn't. If he was nervous, you could see it. If he was happy, too. It's hard to find this authenticity in today's sport, where everyone seems formatted. Not him. Fabio was, and is, an original."

But if the world knew him for his exploits and his excesses, Flavia knows him in the silence of his home, in the small gestures, in the smiles he gave to his three wonderful children. Fognini the elder is a new and surprising version, one who hasn't lost his desire to play, but who has changed sides. "With our children, it's a bit like he's playing the most important tournament of his life, and he does it with contagious energy. Sometimes he seems like a fourth child, chasing them, inventing absurd games, making them laugh for hours. But then he also knows how to be present, how to listen. He's become a deeper man. More complete." When Flavia stopped, she did so with the strength of someone who understood the moment. When she saw Fabio begin to watch tennis with a more tired smile, she understood that that moment was approaching for him too. "I didn't tell him when to stop, but I think deep down we both knew. It was time to live more of what we've built together."

And now life changes, but not too much. Because while it's true that alarm clocks will no longer be set to tournament time zones, it's also true that a champion remains a champion. In the way he looks at the world, in the way he faces new challenges. "Fabio is someone who will continue to find his space, to put himself out there. Perhaps away from the spotlight, but always with passion. And I'll be there, as he's always been there for me. Not just as a husband, but as a partner in crime." There's a phrase Flavia often repeats, almost shyly: "We're a team." They say it for fun, but they truly mean it. Fabio and Flavia. Two champions. Two strong personalities. Two different paths that have crossed to become one family. The "five Fs" family, which is now enjoying another match. The most beautiful one.