"I love Umag and I happily go back to it each year. Everything about the tournament suits me, people there appreciate and love me, and a lot of Italian fans always cheer for me," Fabio Fognini, who will turn 30 on May 24, explained.
With last year's celebration in the final match, Fognini won his fourth ATP title and finally took the last step at his favorite tournament, as he calls it. In previous years, he played one final match (lost to Robredo in 2013) and three semifinals (in 2008, 2011 and 2014). In total, his win-loss ratio in Umag is 19-8, and he defeated players such as Carlos Moya and Gael Monfils. With his 2008 semifinal match, which happened during his first ever appearance in Umag, Fognini in a way introduced himself to the global tennis audience, showcasing what he was capable of.
"He is one of the most exciting players on the court. He even reminds me a little bit of myself from my days on the tour as you never know what you can expect from him, and you never know which version of him will appear on the court. But once the real Fabio comes out on the court, as was the case in Umag last year, then you know you'll get top-quality tennis," the legendary Goran Ivanišević said of the title defender.
Following last year's title at Stella Maris, Fognini had several remarkable results on the ATP Tour, on both hard and indoor courts, which is not exactly typical of him. In October, he played the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, and a month ago he reached the semifinal of the Masters 1000 in Miami. He is currently ranked 29th on the ATP world rankings and could be even higher ranked by the time Umag comes around as he has only a 100-odd points to defend by then.
