At the end he was almost moved. During the awards ceremony, Andrej Martin swore that he will never forget the week spent at the Tennis Club Città dei Mille, where he won his first tournament after returning due to a long disqualification for a positive anti-doping test. He thanked the club, extolled the beauties of the city of Bergamo and the people for their welcome. There could not have been a better name for the roll of honor of the AZIMUT Trophy ($15,000, clay): the eighth edition ends with the victory of the Slovakian, who in a final played with extreme attention prevailed with a double 6-3 over Gianluca Cadenasso. The Genoese, born in 2004, was in the game for the entire match but failed in important moments. Immediately down a break, at 4-3 in the first he had a break point to put everything back into question, but he wasted it by putting a not too difficult backhand long. In the second he was twice ahead by a break, he went up to 3-1, but at that point there was a run of five consecutive games that gave Martin the eleventh ITF title of his career, the first since almost twelve years. Yes, because Martin – although he is almost 35 years old – has nothing to do with this at these levels, and he has shown that he hasn’t let himself go during his two-year break. “Today was my seventh match – he said – so I improved day after day. I think Gianluca is a very talented player, but he doesn’t have much experience yet. This factor gave me a big hand. Personally I concentrated on my game, trying to keep my level high throughout the match. He has had ups and downs, it’s normal for such a young player. I never lost concentration and this allowed me to win in two sets.”
MARTIN: “NEVER FELT SO GOOD” – The AZIMUT Trophy was the second tournament after the disqualification. Winning immediately is a great relief for Martin, who during the awards ceremony – via a video call activated by his coach – said goodbye to his girlfriend, who had returned to Slovakia after accompanying him in the first few days. “The hardest thing about these two years? Not being able to do what I do best – continues Martin – I knew I would be back, and this made the wait even harder. When I did something, it was always with my return in mind. I also had fun moments, I did many things, but I never dedicated myself to anything 100%. I just had to wait and now I’m happy to be able to do what I want. I worked hard to do what I love. Probably the hardest moment was the beginning, because I didn’t expect it. But by then it was over, I just tried to live these two years in the best possible way”. When the news of his positive test emerged, Martin was around the 200th ATP position: what goals can a player of his age have, having to start from scratch? “I started again halfway through the season, so my first wish is to stay physically fit from now until the end of 2024,” he says. “I told myself to do my best in these six months. I did a great physical preparation, and on a mental level I think I’ve never been so good. I can’t wait to face this new challenge, the victory in Bergamo gives me confidence and motivation. Ranking objectives? None for this year: I’ll try to do calculations and reasoning after seeing what has happened in these six months. Now I’m thinking about playing match after match, tournament after tournament.”
THE BASIS FOR THE FUTURE – While he was at it, he dedicated a mini-investiture for Cadenasso. “You are really good, I will follow you in the next few weeks and I hope to be able to play against you again in a final” she told him during the awards ceremony, at which Marcella Messina, Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Bergamo, which said it was very happy to have started its institutional task from tennis, confirming the City’s commitment to a sport that has given so much to Bergamo in recent years. Another good news for the tournament director Silvana Carrara came from the title sponsor AZIMUT, which confirmed its commitment for the future. “We don’t know if it will be for 50 years” joked top manager Riccardo Maffiuletti, who for professional reasons will move to Spain and passed the baton to Fabio Arioldi, who was also present at the awards ceremony. There were really a lot of people at TC Mille for a tournament which, little by little, is building a solid tradition. And which has kept professional tennis in Bergamo for 2024, awaiting the return in style of the Challenger who launched the Berrettini, the Sinner, the Rune and the Draper. A very precious heritage, to be protected in every way. (Source: Azimut Trophy)
