Walking onto Court Rainier III at the Monte-Carlo Country Club to play Rafael Nadal is a daunting task. The Spaniard has won 11 titles on the main court at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

But on Saturday, Italian Fabio Fognini felt no fear. In fact, he says he played up his chances to Nadal himself.

“With Rafa, it’s always difficult,” Fognini said. “I was telling him yesterday that I knew that I have the game to play against him. Sometimes I won, a few matches. One crazy one in the US Open and two times on clay. So I knew that I had nothing to lose, because, of course, especially when you go with him on clay, it’s always really tough.”

After a stunning one-hour, 36-minute display, Fognini is into his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final. The Italian ended Nadal’s Monte-Carlo streaks of 25 straight sets and 18 consecutive matches won.

Fognini arrived at this event having lost seven of his previous eight tour-level matches, including four in a row on clay. In the first round, Andrey Rublev took a 6-4, 4-1 lead against Fognini and had five chances to make it 5-1. But the Italian battled back, and he has not looked back since.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week, I will see you on Sunday, I would laugh in your face. I was 6-4, 4-1 down and break points for 5-1, and I made an ace on the line,” Fognini said. “But that’s incredible sport, so I was lucky. Now I’m in the final. And of course I’ll go for the title tomorrow.”

Fognini arrived in the Principality without momentum, trying to bounce back from a disappointing first-round straight-sets loss in Marrakech against Czech Jiri Vesely. Just days later, he is the first Italian Monte-Carlo finalist since Corrado Barazzutti (l. to Borg) in 1977.

“Fabio played an unbelievable match. He played so well. Rafa is Rafa… it’s a fantastic result,” former Italian Davis Cup Captain Paolo Bertolucci told ATP Tennis Radio. “We couldn’t imagine that after Marrakech… But the sport is like this. Something very important could change in one day and then you can see your next match much easier and start to play much better and finish on Sunday.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Paolo Bertolucci:

It’s a fitting location for Fognini’s resurgence, as he lives only a 45-minute drive from the Monte-Carlo Country Club. It’s closer to his residence than the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, a Masters 1000 tournament held in Rome.

“Today playing against Rafa, even if you play in Italy, it’s really tough,” Fognini said, with a smile. “I’m living really close by, and it’s a big opportunity to them to come here and try to watch me play. So I don’t know tomorrow how many they are coming, but that’s not my problem. It’s his problem. I hope that they are coming, a lot of people.”

Fognini’s friends and family have been able to come out to support the 13th seed, including his wife, 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta.

“It was an amazing day. He played really, really well. He was really consistent, really focused on the game. It was not easy to play today, a really windy day and Rafa had some mistakes, a few mistakes in important moments,” Pennetta told ATP Tennis Radio. “It’s not that usual that you see that from Rafa, but it was really difficult to play today. I saw Fabio also played really well yesterday with the wind. He’s a guy who in these conditions, he plays really well.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Flavia Pennetta:

The 31-year-old will meet Serbian Dusan Lajovic — who had never made an ATP Tour final or advanced past a Masters 1000 quarter-final — for the trophy. It is a big opportunity for both men, as this is the first Masters 1000 championship match between two first-time finalists at the elite level since the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters.

“I think it’s the best moment for him. He was working all his career to get to a final at the best tournaments. This one is one of the best after the Grand Slams,” Pennetta said. “It’s a really important day for both of them because normally you face Rafa, Djokovic, Roger in the final. It’s a big chance for both of them so it’s going to be a really emotional moment.”

“It’s going to be really tough. He has nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. We start 50/50,” Fognini said. “Even if in the [ATP] Rankings I’m higher than him, I know that I have to run a lot tomorrow.”

Did You Know?
Fognini is the fourth man to claim three or more victories against Nadal on clay, following in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Gaston Gaudio.

On Saturday, Rafael Nadal suffered a shock defeat to Fabio Fognini at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. There is no rest for the weary. The Spaniard is right back to work next week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and is set to face a tricky path from the start.

If Nadal is to lift his 12th trophy in Barcelona, he will have earned it. He finds himself in a loaded half of the draw, with a potential path to the final that includes 15th seed Lucas Pouille, 2018 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2017 runner-up Dominic Thiem.

Nadal, who opens against either Marius Copil or Leonardo Mayer on the familiar clay-courts of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, could face Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and Thiem in the semis. He defeated the Greek in straight sets in last year’s final, with the Austrian enduring the same fate in the 2017 championship.

View Barcelona Draw

Former World No. 3 and longtime rival David Ferrer could square off with Nadal for one last time, with a third-round encounter in the cards. Ferrer, who is playing in the penultimate tournament of his professional career, reached the final four times (2008-09 & 2011-12), falling to his countryman on each occasion. He opens against Mischa Zverev, with Pouille looming in the second round.

Meanwhile, Thiem should not look too far ahead in the draw, with sixth seed Karen Khachanov, #NextGenATP star Frances Tiafoe and home hope Pablo Carreno Busta all residing in his quarter. The third seed will face either Yoshihito Nishioka or Hyeon Chung in his opener. Chung is competing in his first tournament in two months in his recovery from a back injury.

In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Alexander Zverev leads the charge with two former champions posing a threat. Fourth seed and 2014-15 winner Kei Nishikori opens against either Taylor Fritz or Reilly Opelka, with 2010 titlist Fernando Verdasco battling fellow Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez. They will meet for the 11th time in their 15-year FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry (tied 5-5).

Nishikori’s quarter is loaded with #NextGenATP stars, with Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime joining wild card Nicola Kuhn. At the age of 18, Auger-Aliassime is seeded at an ATP Tour event for the first time.

Rafael Nadal is the first to admit that very little went according to plan on Saturday. The second seed and 11-time champion suffered just the fifth defeat of his career at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, succumbing to Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 36 minutes.

It was one of the upsets of the year thus far on the ATP Tour, as Fognini beat Nadal at his own clay-court game and in his own playground, cranking up the intensity and dictating on his terms. Over the years, the Spaniard has secured some of his greatest achievements at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, but on this day he admits he was not at his best.

“The vision was clear, but I played a very bad match against a good player, so in that situation, you have to lose,” Nadal told the assembled media in Monte-Carlo. “That’s what I did this afternoon. It was a tough day and he was a difficult opponent.

“It was this kind of day that everything went wrong. I probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years. And today I deserved to lose because I played against a player that was better than me.”

Nadal entered Saturday’s encounter with an 11-3 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. He had notched six straight victories since suffering a shock defeat at the 2015 US Open, but as the wind whipped across Court Rainier III, tricky conditions compounded the reigning champion’s struggles.

The 11-time titlist captured his 70th match win at his most successful ATP Masters 1000 event on Thursday, and would add No. 71 a day later. But No. 72 will have to wait until next year. Nadal says that while he always expects the best from himself, there are some days that it isn’t good enough.

“I always expect the best, but you have to be ready to accept the negative things. And that’s it. It’s just an opportunity lost in a very important event for me. I’m sad for that, of course. But it’s true that even if that was a good chance for me to start the clay court season in a perfect way, it didn’t happen.

“We can talk about technical or tactical things, but it is the kind of day that the feeling is not there at all. When this happens, it is difficult to find an explanation for the rest.”

It was just over a month ago that Nadal withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open due to a right knee injury, ahead of a semi-final clash with Roger Federer. He would also pull out of the Miami Open presented by Itau the following week. But, back on his favourite surface and in his familiar Monte-Carlo confines, he refused to drop a set en route to the semis.

While Nadal admits it is difficult to accept his latest performance, he believes that his game is still a work in progress in his return to action. Injuries take their toll, both physically and mentally, and there is never a precise road to recovery.

“I am coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on,” Nadal continued. “The problem is that sometimes we are used to being very, very solid all the time, and even coming back from injuries, winning and winning and winning, and things are not that easy.

“It is more difficult to hold the same level every single day when you don’t have confidence in tournaments in a row or matches in a row. And that’s what I needed. Even if I have been very competitive all the tournaments that I have been playing, all these stops create some instability… That’s why I have been able to win all the things that I won, especially on clay. But it is always more difficult when all these things are going on.”

Nadal will next compete at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in the coming week. Seeking an unprecedented 12th title, he opens against either Marius Copil or Leonardo Mayer. A potential 2018 championship rematch against Stefanos Tsitsipas looms large in the quarter-finals.

View Barcelona Draw

Fabio Fognini and Dusan Lajovic wrap up a wild week on Sunday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters as both men battle for their first ATP Masters 1000 title. This is the first time that Monte-Carlo has featured two first-time Masters 1000 finalists since the Masters 1000 series began in 1990.

Fognini, seeded 13th, is competing in his first Masters 1000 singles final. He sent shockwaves through the tennis world with his semi-final upset of 11-time Monte-Carlo champion Rafael Nadal. Fognini won nine of the last 11 games and fired winners at will to hand the Spaniard one of the most one-sided losses of his career on clay. Read More

Who will win the first @FedEx ATP Head2Head clash between these players?

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) April 20, 2019

The Italian’s current level is even more surprising given his form throughout the season. Fognini had a 4-8 record at the start of the week and arrived in Monte-Carlo having won just one of his past eight matches. He was down a set and 1-4 in his first-round match against Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev, but found a way to prevail and has continued to raise his level with each match.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week, I will see you on Sunday, I would [have] laughed in your face,” said Fognini. “I was 6-4, 4-1 down and break point for 5-1, and I [hit an] ace on the line. But that’s sport. So I was lucky. Now I’m in the final. And of course I go for the title tomorrow.”

Although Fognini has at times lost his concentration this tournament, he’s been able to regroup for incredible comeback wins. In addition to his victory over Rublev, he rallied from 1-6, 0-2 to defeat ninth seed Borna Coric of Croatia in the quarter-finals.

Lajovic looks to become the first man to win his first ATP Tour title at a Masters 1000 title event since Albert Portas (Hamburg 2001). The World No. 48 in the ATP Rankings hasn’t dropped drop a set this week and is the lowest-ranked Monte-Carlo finalist since Hicham Arazi in 2001. He had never reached an ATP Tour final before this week, but has been unfazed in handling the new occasions he’s found himself in.

Not even a blister on Lajovic’s toe has been able to stop his flawless all-court play. Although he acknowledged feeling discomfort with it, the Serbian is adamant that he won’t allow it to affect him in Sunday’s final.

“It’s pain every day. It takes a while to get ready to go on court,” said Lajovic. “I’m going to cut that toe off if it means I can play tomorrow.”

The doubles final features Dutch pair Wesley Koolhof and Robin Haase taking on seventh seeds Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor of Croatia. Mektic has won two Masters 1000 titles in the past 12 months (2018 Mutua Madrid Open w/Peya, 2019 BNP Paribas Open w/Zeballos). Skugor, Koolhof and Haase all seek their first title at this level.

If Fognini wins the title, he will:

+ Become the first Italian to win a Masters 1000 title, since the series debuted in 1990. He is already the first finalist from his country.;

+ Rise to a career-high in the ATP Rankings at No. 12

+ Become the first player to beat Rafael Nadal en route to a clay-court title since Pablo Cuevas in Rio de Janeiro in 2016

If Lajovic wins the title, he will:

+ Become the first unseeded player to win in Monte-Carlo since Thomas Muster in 1992

+ Become the first player to win his maiden ATP Tour title at a Masters 1000 event since Albert Portas in Hamburg in 2001

+ Crack the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time, rising to a career-high No. 19

+ Will join Novak Djokovic as the only Serbians to win a Masters 1000 singles title

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2019

COURT RAINIER III start 11:30 am
Robin Haase (NED) / Wesley Koolhof (NED) vs [7] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO) 

Not Before 2:30 pm
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [13] Fabio Fognini (ITA) 

Italian Fabio Fognini pulled off one of the upsets of the 2019 ATP Tour season on Saturday, defeating 11-time Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

Last year, Fognini sat down with ATPWorldTour.com to talk about his “ATP Firsts.” 

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
[In 2006], I was playing qualies at Buenos Aires, and I made it through the main draw and I was playing [Carlos] Moya and I lost 6-4 in the third, and then he won the tournament.

First thing I bought with prize money
I live in Italy, so I bought a house first of all, because I think it’s the most important thing in your life, and after that a car, nothing else… It’s a nice apartment, it’s 125, 130 metres squared.

More ATP Firsts: Donaldson | Schwartzman | M. Zverev

How fast have you gone in your car?
Well, I can’t tell you right now because…

Only up to the speed limit?
Of course.

First autograph/photo I got
When I was young, because I was living close to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters… with the school, we went there to watch the tournament. I had a picture with [Goran] Ivanisevic.

First pet
I had one when I was really young, when I was 4-15. I had one in Italy and when he died, I was really, really sad. I have a tattoo of him also. When he died, I made one. Good memory. Ralph…. [The tattoo is] on my hip… ‘Never Without You’ or something.

First time I flew first class
I think when I was Top 100. That was my goal. I had never flown business class because I had to do something before flying business class. So I think when I was Top 100, and it was the end of the year, I was No. 95, No. 94 and the next flight I flew to Australia main draw, I flew business… It was nice. Of course it’s a long trip, so it’s a lot of hours inside the plane. So it was nice.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on 31 May 2018.

Fabio Fognini produced the performance of his career on Saturday to stun 11-time champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, advancing to his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

Fognini claimed 11 of 14 games from 1-3 down in the first set to stun the 33-time Masters 1000 champion after one hour and 36 minutes. Fognini’s fourth victory in 15 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against the 80-time tour-level titlist ends 18-match and 25-set winning streaks for Nadal in the Principality.

“I was telling him yesterday that I [knew I had] the game to play against him,” said Fognini. “Sometimes I won a few matches. [I won] one crazy one at the US Open and two times on clay. So I knew that I had nothing to lose, because, of course, especially when you go with him on clay, it’s always really tough.”

This is just the second time the World No. 18 has claimed victory against Top 2 opposition, adding to his 2017 triumph over then-World No. 1 Andy Murray at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Fognini is also just the fourth man to claim three or more victories against Nadal on clay, following in the footsteps of Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Gaston Gaudio. The Italian’s previous two clay-court victories against Nadal came at the Rio Open presented by Claro and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in 2015.

“I probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years,” Nadal said. “When that happens, you have to lose. And today I deserved to lose because I played against a player that was better than me today.”

Fognini entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak on clay and looked set to fall to a sixth straight defeat on the surface in his opening match. But after Andrey Rublev led the Italian 6-4, 4-1, Fognini found his best tennis and he has not looked back. Fognini defeated World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, ninth seed Borna Coric and Nadal to reach the championship match at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week, I will see you on Sunday, I would [have] laughed in your face,” said Fognini. “I was 6-4, 4-1 down and break point for 5-1, and I [hit an] ace on the line. But that’s incredible sport. So I was lucky. Now I’m in the final. And of course I go for the title tomorrow.”

Fognini will meet first-time tour-level finalist Dusan Lajovic for the trophy. Lajovic, who is yet to drop a set in the Principality this week (10-0), recovered from 1-5 down in the first set to beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-1. Fognini and Lajovic have never met at tour-level.

“It’s a surprise final, because of course both of us [were] not favorites [in the matches] today,” said Fognini. “He played really good and really solid during the whole week, because I saw him play against Dominic. I saw him playing the first match and he beat Goffin. And even if Medvedev was really tight, he was 1-5 down in the first set, and he was really good.

“I think it’s going to be really tough. He has nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. We start 50/50. Even if the ranking [says] I’m higher than him, I know that I have to run a lot tomorrow.”

Fognini joins Novak Djokovic as the only player to defeat Nadal at the Monte-Carlo Country Club after the quarter-finals. Djokovic snapped Nadal’s 46-match win streak in the Principality to claim the 2013 title and also defeated the Spaniard in the last four in 2015.

The eight-time tour-level titlist is just the fourth man to defeat Nadal at the third Masters 1000 event of the year. The 31-year-old adds his name next to Novak Djokovic (2013, ’15), David Ferrer (2014) and Guillermo Coria (2003) on the exclusive list. 

In the opening game, Fognini found success returning deep into Nadal’s forehand. The Italian took advantage of short replies from the Spaniard to gain court position, firing winners to earn an early break. But Nadal quickly found his rhythm on his forehand, opening up the court with angles to move Fognini across the baseline and extract errors for a 3-1 lead.

From there, Fognini bounced back in emphatic fashion to take the opening set. The Italian continued his attack on Nadal’s forehand, driving backhands cross-court to break serve for a 5-4 lead. In the next game, Fognini maintained his attacking mentality, charging the net behind his serve to take a one-set lead.

Buoyed by an electric atmosphere in the crowd, Fognini charged towards the finish line in set two. The 31-year-old took time away from Nadal at every opportunity, striking any available short balls to push Nadal out of position and into errors.

Nadal managed to save three consecutive match points at 5-0, 40/0, before breaking for a third time to extend the match. But Fognini ended his comeback, cracking a forehand up the line from the tramline to hand Nadal his fifth loss at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (71-5).

Nadal was bidding to reach his 13th final in Monte-Carlo and match Roger Federer’s record for most final appearances at Masters 1000 level (50). The Manacor native owns a 33-16 record in his 49 championship matches at Masters 1000 level, which includes an 11-1 record at this event.

“It was a tough day and [Fabio] was a difficult opponent,” said Nadal. “I am coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on… It was this kind of day that everything was wrong.”

Did You Know?
Since the ATP Masters 1000 series began in 1990, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters championship match has never featured two first-time finalists.

Dusan Lajovic pulled off a stunner on Saturday to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, winning 12 of the final 13 games from 1-5 down to defeat Russian Daniil Medvedev. Not only is this his first ATP Masters 1000 final, but it’s his first ATP Tour championship match. Lajovic’s only previous quarter-final at this level came last year in Madrid, where he defeated Juan Martin del Potro.

“If he’s able to play every tournament as he has been playing this one, I’m sure he’s going to become Top 20 after the clay court season,” Medvedev said of Lajovic.

ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the 28-year-old Serbian…

1. Playing Tennis Was A Coincidence
In a way, there was a bit of luck involved with Lajovic becoming a tennis player. Tennis was the only sport available for his age group when the Serbian began playing at seven.

If he did not become a tennis player, the 28-year-old would have tried competing in football. Lajovic is an avid FC Barcelona fan.

2. The Serbian Made A Key Change
Two-and-a-half years ago, Lajovic hired Jose Perlas as his coach. Perlas has worked with the likes of Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Guillermo Coria, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Fabio Fognini and Lajovic’s countryman, Janko Tipsarevic.

Lajovic says that Perlas is one of the best coaches on the ATP Tour, and he feels that decision was a boon for his career.

“This was the key change to finally work on the right things in my tennis and to finally believe that I can do this,” Lajovic told ATP Tennis Radio. “Obviously if he believes that I can do it I have to believe it myself and I started believing, so that’s the biggest change I would say in my game.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Recent Interview With Lajovic:

3. He Owns A Coffee Shop
Lajovic owns a coffee shop in Belgrade called “Laboratorije Kafe”. While he does not have his own coffee line like Indian doubles star Rohan Bopanna, Lajovic enjoys the cafe.

“It’s in the building where I live, so it’s really handy. I wake up, I go for a coffee,” Lajovic said. “We have all these chemical glasses for the smoothies. It’s a little bit like a nerdy cafe. But I enjoy spending my time there and it’s more of a hobby than any business idea. It’s great to have something besides tennis and I’m interested in a lot of things, so this is one of them.”

4. Lajovic Underwent Hernia Surgery 16 Months Ago
Lajovic underwent a hernia surgery on 1 November 2017, and he would lose six of his first seven tour-level matches in 2018. Dating back to the end of 2017, he lost 10 of 11 matches. And while that lull saw him drop from the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since September 2015, he has been on the rise ever since.

The Belgrade native’s best ATP Ranking before the surgery was 57th in October 2014. But he is currently 48th in the world and he is projected to crack the Top 25 on Monday, which will be his career-best.

5. He Has Been Battling A Blister This Week
You wouldn’t be able to tell by his form in the Principality, but Lajovic has struggled with a blister throughout the tournament. Nevertheless, he has not lost a set en route to the final.

“It’s pain every day. It takes a while to get ready to go on the court,” Lajovic said. “I’m going to cut that toe off if it means I can play tomorrow.”