San Marino's Vicini becomes 1st to play 100 Davis Cup matches
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Domenico Vicini reached another Davis Cup milestone Friday by playing his 100th match — just two days after the 50-year-old became the oldest player in tournament history to win a match.
The San Marino player, who turns 51 in September, played a doubles match with 17-year-old Simone De Luigi against Iceland in Europe Group 4 play. They lost 6-2, 6-3 to Rafn Bonifacius and Daniel Siddall.
"It's a great achievement for me," Vicini said of the century mark. "It's been a long journey, but from the beginning I have been able to travel to so many places and see so many things."
The 50-year-old Vicini won his doubles match on Wednesday against Albania.
Three years ago, Vicini set a Davis Cup record as the oldest player to win a singles match. That was at age 47 years, 318 days.
"I don't know when I will stop," he said Friday. "I will continue to play as long as I can. The motivation is my passion for the sport and to compete for my country."
Despite the doubles loss, San Marino still defeated Iceland 2-1 to advance to Saturday's promotion playoff against Azerbaijan.
Vicini made his Davis Cup debut in Zambia in 1993, the first year San Marino entered the competition. He scored the first-ever point for San Marino, winning a singles match against Slovenia.
This is Vicini's 24th Davis Cup tournament. He has been captain since 2008.
San Marino is one of the world's oldest republics and has a population of some 33,000. It is landlocked and bordered by Italy.
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