Italian Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri was in tears as his nation won the World Cup of men’s tennis for the third year running – and the first time in front of a home crowd – despite the country’s two top-ranked players, Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, skipping the team tournament this year.

Italy becomes the first country to win three Davis Cups in a row since the USA lifted five consecutive trophies from 1968 to 1972 – and they did it without going undefeated throughout Finals week. Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini stepped up for their country, with both men winning all three of their singles rubbers this week. But Volandri still gave credit to Sinner and those who were absent from the team.

In Sunday’s championship tie against Spain, Berrettini put Italy ahead when he beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-4. World No. 22 Cobolli then completed a heroic comeback to beat Jaume Munar 1-6 7-6(5) 7-5 in front of a packed SuperTennis Arena before the Italian squad joined him on the court to celebrate.

Sinner helped Italy win two successive Davis Cup titles in 2023 and 2024 in Malaga, but the world No. 2 sparked backlash when he decided to skip the team event this year in favour of having a longer off-season – even though he would be playing in front of a home crowd in Bologna. The team suffered a further blow when world No. 8 Musetti withdrew shortly after he was eliminated in the group stage of last week’s ATP Finals.

But there was no cause for concern, as Cobolli and Berrettini carried Italy to a fourth overall Davis Cup victory, and their third in a row. After clinching victory, team captain Volandri said they couldn’t have done it without Sinner and co.

“It’s the third one in a row, but I’m crying, and I didn’t cry for the first one. It’s something unbelievable. We had a lot of tough moments, even if it doesn’t look like [it], but we had it. But as a group what I said, we had the power to manage these moments,” the 44-year-old said.

“We felt also the players that were not here, but it was like they were here, like Jannik, like [Matteo] Arnaldi, like Musetti. It’s a big, big team and only if you have a big team, you can reach this unbelievable result, it’s incredible. Thank you, time to enjoy.”

Cobolli and Berrettini went on an incredible run throughout Finals week, beating Austria and Belgium on their way to the final. Cobolli saved seven match points in a thrilling third-set tiebreak against Zizou Bergs on Friday to reach the championship tie. And the Italian duo go back a long way – Berrettini was just 14 when he met an eight-year-old Cobolli and started working with Cobolli’s father, Stefano, who became his coach.

Stefano was on Italy’s team bench throughout the Davis Cup Finals. And on Sunday, Cobolli earned arguably the most important win of his career in front of his family and loved ones to retain the trophy for his nation.

The 23-year-old explained: “It’s impossible to describe this feeling, it’s impossible. I dreamed a lot for this night, I don’t know how I won because the match was tough, Jaume played so good. You know, we cannot lose for our country, so sometimes you learn, but you never lose. If you give all what you have in your heart.

“I think Jaume played very well in the first set I was a little bit nervous, I was shaking a little bitt. But at the end I looked at my bench and I found something in my body, in my heart, and I gave everything for this team and at the end, it was a great thing. Like I said before, I am a world champion. It’s amazing. I invite everyone that I really want to come today, my family is here, my friends, my brother, my girlfriend so I am just happy.”