Fognini: Feeling good and still trying to improve

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Europe

07:20

During an interview with CGTN's "Beyond the Baseline", Sports Scene caught up with the fourth seed Fabio Fognini, after he reached second straight China Open semi-finals.

The 31-year-old Italian, who is making his ninth appearance in the tournament, is extremely fond of the Chinese capital and cherishes his pleasant experiences both on and off the court in Beijing.

The world number 13 has won 43 matches so far in 2018, better than his previous-best tally of 42-27 in 2013. But the Italian doesn't solely focus on rising onto the top 10 but prefers maintaining the current form where he counts speed and movement amongst his best qualities.

Italy's Fabio Fognini during the China Open quarter-final match in Beijing, October 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

Fognini also spoke about his family in the interview. The Italian tennis star is married to the 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, and has a 15-month-old son, who he claims will not be pushed into playing tennis. He admitted that he has changed a lot during the last two years after having his own family.

The eight-time ATP tournament winner says that he knows his body language both on and off the court is popular with his fans. He confessed that it's his unique style of waking him up if he gets sleepy on the court.

Speaking of age, Fognini said he believes that Roger Federer would play ten more years. The world number 13 says he feels good and is not even thinking about retirement at this stage.