'To beat Rafael Nadal you need to have...', says former Top 10

• Tennis News
• Rafael Nadal

It is the biggest tennis event of the year in Italy, this year divides this role with the end-of-year Finals that will be held in Turin, but there is always great anticipation around the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome, Masters 1000 which will feature the best tennis players on the circuit.

The men's entry list of the 78th edition of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia has been announced, an event that will be held from 9 to next May 16 in the Italian capital. For this edition there will be all the best of the circuit starting from the number one in the world and outgoing champion of the tournament Novak Djokovic.

In addition to him, the big favorite can only be the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, holder of 9 trophies at the Internazionali d'Italia, the last one won in 2019. There will instead be the other member of the Big Three, Roger Federer, who, in his program has chosen to compete in the Masters 1000 in Madrid and in view of Roland Garros therefore chooses the Spanish tournament.

In the Top Ten there will be all the best, Dominic Thiem (absent in Monte Carlo) will return and there will be Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. In the first 45 there will obviously be the four most anticipated tennis players, the blue athletes currently militant in the Top 30 and who hopefully will be able to play an excellent tournament in front of the home crowd.

Fabio Fognini recently gave his thoughts on his rivalry with Rafael Nadal, explaining why the Spaniard sometimes finds it difficult to subdue him.

Fabio Fognini talks about Rafael Nadal

"Mentally and physically Rafael Nadal destroys you, and to beat him you need to have the perfect day," Fabio Fognini said.

"I think I have beaten Rafa because I have a game that bothers him a bit," he added. "Especially when I am well, I have shots that do not give him time." Fabio Fognini went on to claim that only Rafael Nadal himself can accurately describe what makes him so tough to beat.

"Rafa is Rafa and he could spend a whole day explaining what it means," Fognini said. "I have had a career in which I have met the best in history. When I qualified for the second week of a Grand Slam I was already happy because I was playing Nadal, Djokovic or Federer.

Sometimes Murray, sometimes Del Potro. Those who come later will be lucky because in two, three, four years they will not have to compete with them."