Fabio Fognini has been on the ATP circuit for quite a long time now. The 34-year-old, hailing from Italy, turned pro back in 2004 and has been quite the presence on the tour. While he is considered by many as slightly inconsistent with his form, over the years, he has been a part of some of the greatest matches ever played.
He has nine ATP singles titles to his name and had a career-high ranking of no. 9 achieved in 2019.
Fabio Fognini and his marriage to a fellow player
Gael Monfils may be one of the most recent tennis players to have gotten married to someone from the same sport. But, Fabio Fognini had this feat under his belt, way back in 2016.
The Italian started dating compatriot Flavia Pennetta in 2014 and the couple got married in 2016. They had their first child, a son named Federico in 2017. In 2019, Pennetta gave birth to their daughter Farah and in 2021, the couple had their third child, a daughter named Flaminia who was born in Barcelona, Spain.
Pennetta herself was a top-10 player on the WTA circuit, reaching the highest-ranking of no. 6, in 2015. She also has a Grand Slam title to her name, having won the US Open in 2015 by defeating her friend and fellow Italian player Roberta Vinci. She also reached the top spot in doubles rankings and won 17 titles. Partnering with Gisela Dulko, she also won the women’s doubles crown at the Australian Open in 2011.
Are the couple still together?
Long before meeting Fabio Fognini, Flavia Pennetta was in a high-profile relationship with Carlos Moya. The Spaniard is a former World No. 1 and the winner of the French Open title in 1998. He is now the primary coach of 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, whom he has seen growing up into a player of such caliber from his teenage days!
However, Moya broke up with Pennetta and it took quite some time for her to recover from the relationship. She opened up about the same, in her memoir, Dritto al cuore (Straight to the Heart).
But her relationship with Fognini seems to be growing from strength to strength. Pennetta, in a recent interview, said that it was her who made the first move. Fognini was apparently too respectful towards her to actually do anything about his liking. She said that her romance was quite a whirlwind one and that she would, in fact, like to get remarried to him, just to relive those wonderful moments.
“It was I who made the first move. We were very close friends, Fabio was too respectful towards me, maybe he was afraid of taking a stake and this is why he never took the initiative. Then one day I asked him to come closer and suddenly I kissed him,” she said.
Pennetta also opened up about Fognini’s temperament, especially his mindset on-court. While his tantrums have often gotten him into trouble, Pennetta said, “Tennis is an instinctive game, but he thinks a lot. He has changed a lot, especially since he is a father. My grandmother said that when you take it you keep it and I take it like this.”
We wish the couple all the happiness in the world, and hope that they have a healthy future ahead of them.
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