¶ Welcome to Q&Andy: Fabio Fognini joins the show
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Hey everyone, welcome to the Q and Andy show. We got a guest this week, boys. Oh yeah. We got a fun one. Oh yeah. Rome special obviously uh tennis going on in Italy. One of my favorite people from my time on tour. You would see him go crazy on the court, beat Rafon Clay, and then he would come into the locker room and it was completely easy going. Uh Fabio Fonini, what's up, man?
Sorry.
Ciao guys, ciao Andy, how are you?
I'm good. I was saying before we uh before we started filming, you're the only guy that retires and looks skinnier. What's what's what's the deal?
I'm perfect right now, you see. I mean, I I do everything, but not tennis anymore. So, as I just say, I play three times in one year.
Yeah.
But I do I mean I can run because of my ankle. I can't. But I do everything. I play golf, I play sometimes paddle, sometimes I'm not a huge fan of paddle. And and golf, golf, golf is really nice.
¶ Life After Tennis
Talk us through it, man. Like I we obviously haven't seen you. You you played your you played in Rome for the last time last year. Uh your last match. You go in to Wimbledon and you almost beat Alcaraz on the way out the door. That would have been the most Fabio thing that I had ever seen. What how are you doing? What are your emotions? Do you miss the game or are you at the point where like you're just happy to kind of not have to deal with the stress of it?
¶ Fognini's Final Match: Almost Beating Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Well you know better than me for sure, no? But was the last uh I think three years of my career were really tough because of the injury and especially the comeback of the injury, no? It tooks like more and more more time to get in shape. And yeah, Wimble was crazy. I mean uh I mean uh that match If I have to be honest, I never see myself again after this match on replay zero.
And yeah, I played this kind of match on grass. You remember on grass. I never get through third rounding wimbled on all my life. So I played this match a crazy match. But I always say to everybody that I was lucky, very lucky, that I lost this match. Because if I was winning, next day was disaster.
Sure. Yeah, I mean it was it it was it was fun for me to watch you kind of on full display one more time uh on your way out the door as someone who knows you and has played against you. Um it was it was it was cool for me to see. I saw the draw come out and I was like, if I'm being honest. Fabio, I was like, Oh please let this like l let him get into this match. Don't let this be Don't let this be like a two.
The night before, you know, the night before Flavia came with the two kids, because I mean Federico, the big one, is really a fan of Carlitos and Yannick, so it's not bad actually. And uh I say I say to them of course come come to London because it it's a ranked match and but I was not thinking that was my last match. And yeah, I mean before sleeping, trust me, the only thing that I have in my mind was
Fabio, please try to not losing like, you know, six two, six one, six three. Try to play, I mean, your best tennis and actually I play, I think the best match of my life. Not even on grass, but mostly in Grand Slam. So I was really surprised by myself. And then after that, I went home and I said, guys, I think there is no better way to say goodbye.
I would agree from from outside looking in, I think that's that's accurate. You say it's the best match you've ever played in your life in a Grand Slam. I mean, that's that's a
Um I think it's one of of the one.
Okay. I was about to say, like you're you you beaten Rafa in a slam from c like a huge comeback and you you know, listen, a as you're looking at
¶ The Rise of Italian Tennis and Sinner at World No. 1
And this goes to to your wife, Flavia Panetta, who's obviously a US Open champion too. As you look at where Italian tennis is now, right, and you're looking at, you know, y Yannick and all the players and you have You know, eighty seven people in the top one hundred and it the growth and the tournaments and d are you filled with kind of a sense of pride? Because a lot of the players currently probably looked up to you and watched you.
Do you feel a sense of pride with kind of how t Italian tennis is has been built and kind of you were a part of leaving something in a better position than when you started?
This one for sure. See, I think I think yes, because you know uh I was I was praying with with you guys, no. So I always being really honest without any I mean complaints and times on court, but outside I was I was really our our time I mean I was nine in the world but like say if I my dream was to play a gr good Grand Slam no but Se ero in la quarta round, ho avuto io, Roger, Rafa, Stan, Delpo, Ferrero, Ferrero.
Ten guys in front of me and say, What the fuck, what do I have to do to play at least uh uh one quarter final or one semi-final for Grass Lane? I mean, I don't think about winning, okay, because It was impossible. Was impossible, guys. I'm honest. And now yes, I mean the the the the Italian movement on our Sport är bättre än soccer. Janik, of course, är No. 1. Så om du har No. 1...
playing tennis, everybody wants to play tennis. So this one, for sure, I am a little bit pride, let's say. Not at all, because I don't want to take all part. But yes, it was was really nice being In this era, because I think it was one of the best era of our sport, let's say, but at the same time, when they asked me this question, I have to be honest and say, guys, I did a lot of fourth round, one quarter final in Roland Garros.
That uh I can play with Nolle, but play constantly quarterfinal, semifinal, or even imagine dreaming and winning as Lamb was impossible.
¶ How Did Fognini Beat Rafa on Clay Three Times?
one of the the other stats that w when I think back on your career which is nuts, I I remembered twice and my uh one of our produ techie Sean over here told me it was three times You beat Rafa on clay three times. Is that correct?
Yes. That's absurd. Why how d how do you go into that match where okay, you just talked about everything being impossible because the players are so good? You come back from couple sets down, if I remember correctly, against Rafa at the US open, you beat him three times on clay. W why you? Why were you able to to kind of have those results against Rafa when it was impossible for the rest of us?
well I don't know I mean that's a question that it's it's tough to say but I answer in this kind of I mean Probably because Of course my game was a bit let's say crazy or different or whatever and i was knowing him really well now because i was living in spain more than 10 years at the age when i was young So I was not studying, but I was knowing Carlos Moya a lot because I was studying him, he was my favorite player. So
I don't know. I was I was I I think I had really clear my my game against him. I know it's difficult. I lost to him like fourteen, fifty times, but the the three times that I was lucky to beat him. I think my game was a bit, let's say...
it it was not really how can I say uh comfortable if you if you can say like that with this game because you know Encre was the best player in the world. He won women okay, he won everything. But you know my game at the time sometimes if I was Let's say we cut with the right white right foot.
Maybe. Uh it was not happy because we play a lot of matches that was uh I remember one final in uh in Hamburg and I lost uh seven five seven five. We played two hours and forty minutes. It was cramping during the ceremony. so i was saying okay my game is probably he don't like my game yeah
Yeah, it's not it's not I mean it's all matchups at a certain point. You have people you like playing and people you don't, but that's still a pretty pretty crazy thing to be able to say, listen, mom's a US Open champion and dad beat Rafa a bunch of times. That's a that's a pretty cool thing. I mean
¶ Mom's a US Open Champ, Dad Beat Nadal: The Fognini-Pennetta Legacy
See but i in a different way. Let's say she has a trophy and I have uh I have only the check of Wimbledon.
Ha ha.
Hey listen, so obviously I I I love Rome. I loved playing in Rome, uh which is probably the only clay event that I can actually say that.
¶ What Rome Means to Italians and Best Neighborhoods to Stay
I think every every Italian or like you maybe uh your dream probably was winning your sober because you're American. Yeah and actually you did And uh yeah, the dream for us was playing really good uh in Rome because it's the only uh big event that we have here.
It's it's the best. Uh there are a lot of fans that come to the tournament. They wanna live like a local, maybe not stay in a hotel. What's Fabio's cool neighborhood if someone's looking uh on Airbnb to stay in in Rome?
actually I did the dancing with the star I was living here three months so I say I have to buy a house here because it's Rome, it's I think it's one of the most beautiful city that uh around the world, around the world, I have to be honest. And it was summer here, so I say okay, we go sea, we go beach and everything. So I start again on September. and i was playing a lot of golf during the summer and i say flavia i go with my with my staff i bring my stuff in roma and sometimes i go to play golf
impossible and I was I was practicing more than tennis. I was practicing like four or five hours in a row like like from Monday and Saturday was the show. And actually the the only day that we have free was Sunday. So Sunday was taking the train.
¶ Dancing With the Stars Italy
Hey, listen. So we have uh this is our Thursday show, so we have fans uh send in some questions. I never know what the questions are, so what do we got, producer Mike?
So let's kick off with a little bit of the dancing with the stars. Let's let's play a little clip because Stephanie did have a question for you relating to it.
Stop, Michael Jackson.
Zero swag. Zero swag. I mean this is
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Look, look, look, that uh
It's so good!
I'm Arya
Yes, come to America, do dancing with the stars.
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It's so good.
Did he come back to life or is that Fognoni? What is
I just saw the movie two days ago in the cinema. With Flavia. Was it good? And Michael.
No, no, no.
I was dancing actually in the cinema.
¶ Tennis Match vs. Dance Choreography: Which Is Harder?
That would be like my dream would be to randomly go to a movie and see see Futoni dancing up and down the aisles.
Stephanie's dream too because she said in this clip with the question Was it harder preparing for a tennis match or learning new dance choreography each week?
No no but completely the second one. But like So I was remembered the the the everything in my mind and say okay I lose in the step. So I should know the step. Then the second one. Then the third one. So Mamma mia was was really was really really tough. And actually the Friday before we had the we have the general I usually in the show, the general show with the with everything, so like dressing and everything from the Saturday.
So it was really tough, guys. It was really tough. After two, three weeks, I started to understand something. You know? But the first two, three weeks was... Mamma mia, I can't imagine that. I can't imagine.
¶ Fognini's Greatest On-Court Meltdowns
Uh, so y you mentioned going on Dancing with the Stars and that one of the kind of nice things about it was that maybe people didn't think you were just being a dick all the time. Um so uh but I I don't want us to totally forget about it because that petulance is something that I actually thought was hilarious all the time. Uh Sean, do we have a a a question that maybe w shows Fabio in full form with with With tennis meltdowns and I'd like to hear his commentary after this.
Let's play this clip and then we had a question from Ciro related to this clip.
Wow, wow, wow, which clip I... This is the best clip ever.
Thank you.
Grande Pascal!
Thank you.
Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
Yeah, I mean Pascal's last.
Como cazzo faz?
What are you saying here?
I say how how you can give me warging. I'm a cast of five it's better, don't say anything. You know that I invited him in uh in the show in Dancing with the Star and he came. Я приглашаю Паскал в Рома. I came here.
I think I could do forty five minutes show just on that interaction.
question that they said. So Ciro wanna know, did it touch the line or was Pascal right?
¶ Was the Ball In? The Pascal Line-Call Controversy
No, for me it was good. Ball was in. The ball was in, guys.
Fabio, man.
¶ Meltdown Regrets: The Fines, the Rackets and the Moments He'd Take Back
I watched some stuff back from like a little bit of a little bit of a little I like I would say terrible things. Like I would go after the umpire and I would and then afterwards I would find them a pot and everything was like fine. Like behind the scenes it always kind of works out. When you watch those clips back, is it funny to you or are you like, oh God.
Well, well, well, well, well, well. I have to be honest. I serious now especially. Uh no, this one is funny. Come on, I mean but one there is few of them that uh I regret, yes. One was in your shop and the other one was... Actually, I think one in Hamburg I broke one racket really bad. So this, no, this one was the best one. I think it was really funny.
How does your relationship with tennis change? Like when you're when you're in your prime and you're nine in the world, like it's always the next week, the next week, the next week, the next week and it the You know, at a certain p like I love playing tennis now because it's actually fun again, right? Like it's actually there's no consequence. During the last three years when you were struggling with injuries.
Did you did it change your perspective on on tennis and kind of what it was and what you wanted to get back to? Did you appreciate it more or was it just frustrating trying to get back?
Uh I think it's both because frustrating of course, no, because when you when you look back and you play in all this amazing stadium and you see now your your ranking is dropping like eighty five so you do get into the master thousand and then uh hundred twenty and you get the injury. So it's always It's it's a mix of that because I was I think tired.
Because after the surgery of my ankle, I say, okay, let's try again, like a a new second uh uh career. And actually I did. I I actually went up to 60 something after that. really tough. Accept the consequence of especially of the challenger because most of that are guys of twenty, eighteen that are going up really fast. And you should play with guys like twenty years younger than you, guys. So This one, your I d I think in my side and the the body was feeling this. I have to be
Faster, okay. I'm fast, but if I go faster for one match, then the recovery of the second match is different than than than before. And then uh okay, two matches, three matches.
And I was okay winning the challenge, I play final the challenger the week because I was fucked. I mean, I say I I go home, guys, because I need uh 10 days recovery. So I think this one was was the tougher goal in the last three years was I was practicing because I was practicing and myself was really calm in this kind of term because I was saying, okay, I would like also to enjoy.
But enjoy one thing is enjoy playing okay, one big match against Carlos in Wimble. Okay, even if I I was losing, but or play one semi-final but challenger with no respect. Was really was really tough. This is was the two kind of situation that they have.
Uh hey, Fognoni man, like it's great catching up with you. Uh I'm good to see I'm I'm happy to see that you're well. Please uh please send our best to uh to to to Flavia and kids and it's just great. W she she would die laughing. She she lives she lives for
This one was one of the last one. And you if you go there and you check for the says they brought my t shirt and everything was really funny. It was really funny.
Hey. Fabio, thanks for coming on, man. Uh appreciate you. Hope I see you soon. All right, buddy. Thank you.
¶ Andy's Rome Travel Tips
I told you Ford Noni's a trip.
He was unbeliev I would really love for him to come on America's Dancing with the Stars.
There's no chance that that's gonna happen and I'm ready to start a petition.
I honestly and I'm I'm very, very jealous that all of these people get to go to Rome right now. I mean you went recently right because you always went and stayed in hotels as a player, but then recently you went with your family, you found a place on Airbnb, like a cool house.
Yeah, we we actually stayed in the Monty neighborhood, which is a little bit closer to all the tourist stuff. We went with our kids who were, you know, ten and eight now. Um, totally different experience. It was so nice being in a place and being able to walk everywhere in two minutes. Our kids just absolutely uh ate it up.
Yeah, we went all we would did all the things. And it was it was amazing. I've done that as like a young adult when I went over there, and then doing it with your kids again, it was like They totally got it. They were young, but they were walking around with the headsets and listening to the the the historical tours and like completely dialed.
Uh another neighborhood that that's like sick if you happen to be going. Mm-hmm. Um, Trostevere is is cool. It's a l it's not as as kind of like maybe touristy as Monty, but it's cool vibe. A little Bohemian vibe, totally up Brooks Alley. Oh
That's nice.
Yeah, it was it was pretty.
Window low window shopping, some cool romantic cobblestone streets.
D one of my favorite things, like during my career I was always in a rush. Like you're in a rush to get there, you're in a rush to practice, you're in a rush to leave. Like that was 14 years of my life, and actually going back to cities like Rome and Paris and London and actually having time to kind of like melt into the cities and stay in them in a different way. Uh is been a real Real shot in the arm for the old the old retirement. I'll tell you that much right now. It's been pretty sweet.
And so so fans are going over there right now, pop into Monty. Trust of air.
Anyways, thanks for watching Q and Andy. I hope I don't know what we're gonna do next week. I don't know how you follow up the old Fedoni.
I mean I love it's he was unbelievable.
I told you he wasn't gonna disappoint. He he's the per s first person I think Lindsay Davenport called me a bitch. One time, but I think Fognoni's the o first person that's gotten to calling me a mother
Yeah.
Here we are. Thanks for watching Surf.
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