Italian pair Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli teamed up this year and had a successful season. They are both mainly singles players but after a great start on the season, they decided to up their work load in doubles and it was worth while. Throughout their season they ended up making history for Italian tennis as well and gave singles players hope to do well in doubles. Double duty is not easy for any touring professional, so the rarity of Fognini and Bolelli playing full schedules of singles plus doubles was very rigorous. The Italian pair ended the year as the 5th ranked doubles team in the world.
Win/Loss
Compared to some teams the duo did not register as many wins but the main difference was the wins they got were in the important tournaments with more ranking points at stake. 2015 saw the Italians go 26-14 on their win-loss record. The wins were comprised of a 9-4 record on clay, 14-7 on hard, 1-2 on indoors, 0-1 on grass, and 2-1 not defined. The pair, also great friends off the court, have had a long history together and with their play this season, their career record together adds up to 64-35 overall.
High Points
It was a very streaky season for the pair but there were many high points throughout the season. The main part of the season that the pair consistently produced good results was the first half of the season. Without many expectations going into the Australian Open, Fognini and Bolelli ended up playing some of their best tennis of their career. Their singles game style made it unpredictable on the doubles side as they exchanged powerful baseline exchanges at net, passing their opponents at net with crafty play.
The Italians went on to win the 2015 Australian Open, their 1st grand slam title of their career as well as make history for Italian tennis. They gained big wins over Cuevas/Marrero, Rojer/Tecau, and a 6-4, 6-4 win in the final over french pair Herbert/Mahut. Their run of play then continued on to Davis Cup where they represented their nation of Italy in a match against Kazakhstan. The pair earned an important 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-7(13), 6-4 win over Golubev/Nedovyesov.
Later on in the season, they showed their clay court prowess at the prestigious French Open. Their run ended eventually against the Bryan Brothers in the semifinals with a 3-6, 3-6 loss. After their nice body of work another highlight was the pair qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals, hosting the best teams in the world. Once first place in the race, the duo ended up fifth out of the eight teams that qualified. 2015 also saw career high rankings in doubles for both, Fognini reaching seven in the world on 7/20/15 and Bolelli reaching eight in the world on 8/17/15.
Low Points
The streaky pair were not able to keep their momentum going. The grass court season was a disappointing one as they bowed out in the 1st round of the Wimbledon Championships. That was their only grass court match of the season. The US Open was a setback as well as they lost early to Fleming/Huey 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(6). Their last months for the most part were pretty uneventful as Fognini and Bolelli appeared to lose some of the edge they had over their opponents. They ended up not making the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals after going 1-2 in round robin play.
Best Results
Although the pair played great at the big tournaments. they were only able to capture one title. The sole title they captured was the Australian Open title they had grabbed right at the beginning of the season. It was their 2nd tournament of the season and gave them a total of three career titles as a pair. Along with the titles, Fognini and Bolelli made three finals. In Indian Wells, the pair made it to the final losing to Pospisil/Sock. They also beat out Dodig/Melo to make it to the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Their last final appearance came in Shanghai as they looked to book a place to ATP World Tour Finals. Beating out Nestor/Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals did them justice as they got their 3rd finalists of the year, totaling 4 in their career as a pair.
Worst Results
It seemed as if the fatigue of playing full schedules in both singles and doubles eventually got up to the pair as their worst results came later on in the season. Losing in Cincinnati to Lopez/Mirnyi handily 3-6, 3-6 in the round of 16 was not good. They came in as favorites but showed no energy or enthusiasm throughout the whole match. Losing at Wimbledon in the 1st round was bad, compared to their successful runs at the Australian and French.
Their rivals Pospisil/Sock edged them out in Beijing as they lost 6-7(5), 6-2, 9-11 in the round of 16. The Bryan Brothers proved to be their biggest challenge as the textbook serve and volleyers exposed their doubles play throughout the season. In the ATP World Tour Finals round robin play the Bryan Brothers dominated Fognini and Bolelli to a straight set victory. The Italian pair had no absolutely no answers in the match.
Grade: B
Simone Bolelli pictured middle left and Fabio Fognini receive the Collar of Gold award (Photo Courtesy of gazzeta.it)
Despite having singles as their main focus, Fognini and Bolelli achieved something amazing for players who transition to the doubles court. By beating some of the best teams in the world on the biggest stages as well as cement their name in grand slam history they have made Italian tennis very proud. It was not a perfect season as they declined at the end, but throughout the season they were able to get big results and show they still had it in them.
As a result of their achievements, the pair received the notable Collar of Gold presented by CONI which is an Italian organization. The duo have also gotten to meet world leaders as well as their own nation's prime minister. At 28 and 30 years of age respectively, many are wondering if the pair will continue to put a lot of focus as a doubles team next season. In an interview with ATP World Tour Bolelli explained, "Me and Fabio without a doubt are singles players, but next year we will play doubles for sure, but only big tournaments like Grand Slams and Masters series". It seems as if the Italians will wait and see how their results go before they decide if they will play a lot next year.