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Andrea Vavassori will find himself fighting for the Australian Open men's doubles titles one more time on Saturday, January 25, at Rod Laver Arena. Accompanying him will be fellow Italian Simone Bolelli, again.
It will be the duo's second straight summit clash appearance at Melbourne Park and they have the pair of Britain's Henry Patten and Finland's Harri Hellovaara as the opposition. The two fell to India's Rohan Bopanna and Aussie Matthew Ebden in the 2024 final.
Andrea Vavassori began playing tennis professionally in 2014 but didn't grace the Grand Slam main draw stage until the 2021 Australian Open. Since then, however, the Italian has been a regular face in the doubles competitions at Majors, notably winning the mixed crown at the US Open in 2024 with compatriot Sara Errani.
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He also helped Italy claim the Davis Cup glory last year as Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, and other Italians brought their best level to the court against the Netherlands in the final.
Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli kicked off the new season on a high. They triumphed at the Adelaide International in the lead-up to the Australian Open, saving four championship points against Kevin Kraweitz and Tim Putz.
The mighty Italians, seeded third, are just one step away from getting their hands on the Melbourne Major trophy. Likewise, their countryman Jannik Sinner is one win away from defending his crown at Melbourne Park.
Ahead of the finals, Andrea Vavassori sat down with Sportskeeda and revealed his dream in an exclusive, also reflecting on the rise of Italian tennis in recent years, with Sinner at the helm.
Andrea Vavassori Exclusive
Sportskeeda: Congratulations... you're into your third Grand Slam final in doubles, how do you feel about it?
Andrea Vavassori: I’m very happy because it’s a different feeling than last year. Last year, it was a bit unexpected, it was a first final for me in a Grand Slam, we were 50 so it was like… in the beginning of the tournament, we didn’t know we would reach such a result. Then we played all the [Masters] 1000s together, our second Grand Slam final in Paris, then the [ATP] Finals. I think we did amazing. This start of the year is showing that our level is completely different, we are growing as a team. We did a great job in Adelaide… playing four matches was important for this tournament.
Sportskeeda: How would you like to celebrate if you win?
Andrea Vavassori: Yeah, it was very tough to lose the first two, but was amazing to win the Grand Slam final with Sara, that feeling was great no. So, we’ll try our best, we always fight, try to dig in. We will just prepare for the best. And we will think later about the celebration. Job is not done so we are just trying to focus to do our best.
Sportskeeda: You turned pro in 2014 but didn’t play at Grand Slams until 2021. Was that a conscious decision... that you didn't want to play on the biggest stages until you felt completely ready?
Andrea Vavassori: I started professional a little bit late than guys of my age. I was just studying in my school, playing tournaments just close to my place. I just won one tournament Under-18. Didn’t have a very successful junior career. I turned professional at the age of 20. And just tried to do my best, trying to improve, so I went out a little bit later. But I always try to believe in the work, the process. And yes I reached the Grand Slam stages little bit after but it was also great for me in singles, I did two qualifications in Wimbledon [first round in 2022] and Paris [French Open; second round in 2023], unbelievable emotions. In doubles, I always had more success than singles. So, it was tough to organize my schedule because in singles, I was always a little bit behind. When we did the final here last year, my decision was trying to play the Olympics, it was a dream for me, the Finals in my hometown Turin. So, my focus changed a little bit. In singles, my ranking dropped. So, I’m trying to focus to become the World No.1 in doubles with Simone [Bollelli].
Sportskeeda: You’re doing an amazing job in doubles, obviously you have Jannik Sinner from Italy, Jasmine Paolini, and others. Have you noticed any change in how Italians look at tennis now?
Andrea Vavassori: I think for sure, Sinner is very important for the Italian tennis. He’s showing the way no, he’s very young, powerful and showing that hard work is the key. So much people from Italy are following tennis right now, also of [Jasmine] Paolini, Sara, [Matteo] Berrettini played unbelievable Davis Cup, [Flavio] Cobolli, [Lorenzo] Sonego, [Lorenzo] Musetti, [Matteo] Arnaldi. Sonego made an unbelievable tournament [quarterfinals]. We are close friends. We grew up in the same city, Turin. We always practiced together a lot, so very proud also for him. So yes, our tennis is growing. More kids are coming to prefer tennis than football, that is insane for us because football is the first sport for us. But tennis is becoming very powerful in Italy so I’m proud that all these results are making more fans to support our sport.
Sportskeeda: In doubles, you, in a way, don’t have control over 50% of the court, how is that like?
Andrea Vavassori: I always like the competition, also love to do the United Cup at the beginning of the year. I think, if you have a great connection with your partner, it’s always nice. In tennis, we don’t have so many opportunities, only doubles to play with another person. And I think if you can do a good job together, you’re always one. You’re becoming more and more connected on the court. I think it’s a little bit different but I think you have to develop different skills, good serve, you have to be very quick at the net. So, I always like to improve these things. I like a lot to work at the net. Also in singles, I’m playing a lot of serve and volley. I think doubles also help me to become a better player in singles. And my level in singles is becoming more so if I ever get opportunity to play singles, I’d play also this year.
