Fognini bids farewell to Rome: "You can remember me as the guy who did things with passion"

Eliminated in the first round of the Rome Masters 1000 by Jacob Fearnley, Fabio Fognini competed for the 18th and final time in the Italian tournament.

The 2019 Monte-Carlo champion had announced earlier in the week that this would be his last appearance in the Italian capital. A tribute ceremony was held right after his defeat, where he shared these words:

"Thank you, Rome. It’s been a beautiful journey. It ends here, but I’m not retired yet. I’ll keep playing until the end of the year. Like everything, there’s a beginning and an end.

I think you can remember me as the guy who did things with passion, who sometimes made big mistakes, but always apologized."