By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 9, 2025
Fabio Fognini has elected to call it a career earlier than expected. The Italian, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets at Wimbledon last week, announced that he will hang up his racquet – effective immediately.
“I was here week ago probably, more than a week ago, and I left something,” said Fognini, who pushed two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz to five sets in his final match at Wimbledon. “I think today is something then is official. I say good-bye to everybody. Yes, I mean, it’s something that was in my mind already. You guys know.
“This week with my family, first week of Wimbledon was really busy, more than tennis, because [my wife] Flavia [Pennetta] was working for TV and I was home. I have no time left to thinking about what I did. I think is the best way to say good-bye.”
A final match to be remembered ✨Good luck with everything, Fabio 🇮🇹@fabiofogna pic.twitter.com/B5PqoHrxll
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 9, 2025
The wildly entertaining Italian ends his career with a 426-396 record. During his career, Fognini rose to a career-high No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings and won nine ATP Tour titles, including his lone ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Monte-Carlo in 2019.
Fognini also earned 17 Top 10 wins, including a dramatic comeback from two sets down against Rafael Nadal at the 2015 US Open. Fognini notched four wins over Nadal including – remarkably – three on clay. He also had five wins over Andy Murray including a masterful victory over the Scot at Davis Cup in 2014 at Napoli.
A farewell we’ll all remember 💚🤍❤️Congratulations on a brilliant career, @fabiofogna 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/2Uup17QA0i
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2025
Fognini, who married 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, has three children, Federico, Farah and Flaminia.
“For sure my best dream was finishing next year in Monte-Carlo,” Fognini told the media at Wimbledon. “The main goal was that one because I was able to win the tournament. I’m growing up there. Family, friends, I’m living really close from there.
“But that’s it. It was not possible. I’m happy the way I say good-bye to the professional tennis career. I did my best. Sometimes was, okay, as we say… I mean, is difficult now to say a lot of words of that. A lot of emotion are in my mind.
“Yeah, the last 10 day I didn’t sleep so well. That’s all for the moment.”
The flashy Fognini was charismatic, brusque, controversial and entertaining during his two-decade professional career, often drawing the ire of his opponents with a flippant attitude. He was also incredibly gifted, with the ability to intersperse delicate touch with surprising bursts of power. On the clay, the surface he grew up on, he was at his best, and in his prime he played like one of the five best clay-courters in the world.
