He kept his itty-bitty braids through the course of the tournament, making his way to the final to face Juan Martin del Potro. And as if he was Samson, whose strength came from his hair, Fognini outmuscled the Argentine to win the tournament—the first hard-court victory of his career.
The braids didn’t stay, but the Italian still had his best year on tour, winning three tournaments on the year and coming close to cracking the top 10.
Maybe “Follicle-nini” will decide to go for the upkeep again next summer.