To say that Lorenzo Sonego has hit some high notes in 2023 is quite an understatement.
At age 28, the hard-hitting Italian has maintained a top-50 ranking, with wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe among his notable performances. At Roland Garros, he stunned No.7 seed Andrey Rublev in five sets to reach the fourth round.
The headline-grabbing win – the Italian trailed Rublev 5-7 0-6 before his roaring comeback – was the sixth top-10 win of his career and the third time he progressed to the second week of a Slam.
It adds to some remarkable career milestones for the Turin-born Sonego, a three-time singles champion on the ATP Tour who peaked at world No.21 in 2021.
Sonego has also hit some impressive high notes off the court.
Known for his post-victory celebration dances, he is also an accomplished musician who has released three songs on Spotify. The first, “Un Solo Secondo”, created with his friend ‘AlterEdo’ has had more than one million streams.
The multi-skilled Italian describes his intriguing side-career as a team effort. “I think my friend is really creative,” he told ATPTour.com as he prepared to release a third song mid-2023. “I just put in the voice and some of the words, but the really hard work is done by my friend. It is good for switching off from the tennis.”
Sonego is not the only player bringing entertaining flair into Italy’s United Cup team in Sydney.
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At world No.30, Jasmine Paolini is her nation's No.1 woman and bound to thrill fans at Ken Rosewall Arena with her dynamic athleticism and potent forehand.
Those skills are all the more impressive for the fact that at just 163 centimetres, Paolini is the second most diminutive member of the WTA’s top 50. Interestingly, only 160-centimetre countrywoman Martina Trevisan is shorter.
The Tuscany-born Paolini, who has both Polish and Ghanian heritage, has explained the offensive approach that helps counter any deficit against taller opponents.
"I didn't decide to be an aggressive player," Paolini commented in 2022. "I just liked to play like that. I like to be aggressive, even with the drop shots. And I don't like to run – I mean, I will run, but I don't like it!
"It's because I'm small that I cannot play too much behind the baseline. I have to try to stay aggressive. My serve, it's OK but I have to try to make my game anyway. I'm too short to play behind."
Paolini capitalised superbly on her weapons in 2023, reaching two WTA finals (in Palermo and Monastir) and peaking at world No.29 in October after saving four match points to defeat Caroline Garcia en route to the Zhengzhou semifinals.
It was the fourth top-20 win of the 27-year-old’s season, with others coming against Daria Kasatkina, Beatriz Haddad-Maia and Elena Rybakina in the second half of the year.
Sonego and Paolini are valuable assets to Italy’s United Cup campaign in Sydney, given their proven credentials in a team setting.
Sonego was proudly among the team as Italy claimed a second Davis Cup title – and the nation’s first in 47 years – in 2023. Paolini’s 6-7 Billie Jean King Cup singles records includes wins over higher-ranked opponents Garcia (who she could face again when Italy meets France in Sydney) and Alize Cornet.
As Team Italy prepares to face Germany (in the 30 December night session) and France (3 January day session), there’s also support from the 21-year-old Flavio Cobolli, who cracked the ATP’s top 100 in a breakthrough 2023 season.
There are also the memories of the nation’s runner-up performance at the inaugural United Cup.
Represented then by the flashy Matteo Berrettini (whom Sonego names among his closest friends) and the effervescent Trevisan, it provided a glimpse of the exciting level Italy could reach again at Ken Rosewall Arena in January.
