Travaglia Breaking New Ground After Career-Threatening Accident

Entering the US Open, Italy’s Stefano Travaglia had won 274 matches in his pro career.

None at the tour-level and none over Top 50 opposition, with just 12 coming on hard courts.

There is a first for everything. Travaglia’s fortunes changed in flash at one of the biggest stages in the game, streaking into the main draw last week with a trio of straight-set qualifying wins. Then, the breakthrough arrived. A gritty 6-4, 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-0 victory over 22nd-seed Fabio Fognini on Wednesday afternoon.

The Italian stunned his countryman in two hours and 27 minutes behind eight breaks from 18 chances, seizing the opportunity on a packed Court 11.

“Today was the best win of my career and the first win in a Grand Slam main draw,” Travaglia told ATPWorldTour.com. “It’s very good for me and I will try to enjoy this day. When I lost the third set, he played a little better and then I changed my play. I was a break up but I lost five games in a row. In the fourth set, I played better and was full power from there.”

Less than two months after making his tour-level debut at Wimbledon, the mere fact that Travaglia is competing at this stage is astonishing. A tennis player’s ability to maintain a firm grip on the racquet is one of the most integral factors to success. For Travaglia, that seemingly basic faculty was nearly stripped from him entirely.

For six years, Travaglia has been building towards this moment after suffering a career-threatening accident in 2011, when he fell down a flight of stairs. In an attempt to halt his fall, the right-hander reached out with his right arm, but crashed through a pane of glass.

The fall had disastrous results, as the glass sliced between his wrist and elbow. As a result, Travaglia suffered nerve and tendon damage, losing feeling in four fingers. For nine months, tennis was far from his mind as Travaglia sought to restore his life back to normal. That is, nine months of suffering through surgery and rehab.

But, as the 25 year old says, the struggle and sacrifice was all worth it. Now, with the help of the facilities at Fabio Gorietti’s academy in Foligno, Italy, he has soared from No. 483 in the Emirates ATP Rankings a year ago to a projected Top 130 position following the US Open.

“It is unbelievable because my career has been stopped a lot of times. To be here today and win this round means a lot of things. I tried to play my best tennis and we’ll see where I’ll arrive in the next round and in the next month. The past is the past I have to think about the future and the present.”

Travaglia, who owns a stunning haul of 18 Futures titles, believes his game is maturing rapidly in 2017 as he graduates to full-time status on the ATP Challenger Tour. His experience in lifting his maiden Challenger crown in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in May and subsequent run at Wimbledon as a qualifier, has not only provided a surge of confidence, but allowed him to gauge his place against world-class competition.

“It has helped me to stay in the court without pressure,” Travaglia added. “I am trying to make the best of my tennis without thinking about the other player. I just play my game and focus on my tennis. Maybe at Wimbledon I was thinking about the other player and the [Emirates ATP Rankings] points. Now, I am focused on me only and playing tennis.

“Ostrava gave me confidence too. It was on another surface, on clay, but tennis is tennis. Whether it’s clay or hard courts. It’s only good for my confidence. I believe more in myself and I will keep going.”

Travaglia will face Viktor Troicki in the second round on Thursday.