Hardly Retired, Fognini Reinvents Himself on Dancing with the Stars

From the tennis courts to the television dance floors, Fabio Fognini continues to surprise. Retired since Wimbledon, the Italian is embarking on a new adventure on Dancing with the Stars, not without some criticism from the judges.

Just three months ago, Fabio Fognini stepped onto Centre Court at Wimbledon to challenge the world number one and future finalist Carlos Alcaraz. At 37 years old, the Italian troubled his young opponent for over 4 hours, taking the match to a fifth set (7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1).

Having been on a downward trend for several months, Fognini had already announced that 2025 would be his final season, but he hadn't decided on his last tournament. It was ultimately a few weeks later that he ended his career, wanting to leave with the memory of that impressive first round performance for the London audience.

Since then, the former ATP world number 9 has been participating in the Italian version of 'Dancing with the Stars'. He made his first appearance yesterday with Giada Lini, his dance teacher on the show.

However, their dance failed to convince the judges, receiving one of the lowest scores of the evening (26/50).