Andrea Binaghi, who has headed the Italian tennis federation (FITP) since 2001, pointed to reforms over the last 10-15 years to decentralise the coaching system and offer more financial, technical and psychological support to young talent.
Auger-Aliassime was a step up for Federer who was far from his best in an error-strewn display.
Novak Djokovic defended his father after a video emerged showing him posing at the Australian Open with some fans holding Russian flags, saying he was "misused" by the individuals and that his family was against war.
Novak Djokovic said there was something extra behind his title charge at this year's Australian Open after being deported from the country last year.
This year's US Open runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 10.
He was drawn in the toughest half of the draw with Nadal as well as in-form Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz and world number three Alexander Zverev, who could clash in the last eight.
Images from Day one of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica in Madrid on Monday
World number one Novak Djokovic began his quest for a sixth title at the season-ending ATP Finals with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over Norway's Casper Ruud in their round robin encounter in Turin on Monday.
The unpredictable nature of the 2024 US Open has turned it into one of the most thrilling Grand Slam tournaments in recent memory.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz faces a tough path to a maiden French Open title after being placed in the same half of the draw as 22-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Sinner is most likely to upset the applecart after the Italian's run to the Canadian Open title this month
Earlier in the day, Croatia's Borna Coric said he has tested positive for coronavirus. He became the second player to test positive for COVID-19 after Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov.
Images from Day 6 of the US Open in New York, on Saturday.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the Paris Masters third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Yoshihito Nishioka but Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both slumped to surprise losses on Wednesday.
Daniil Medvedev continued his march towards a first Grand Slam title on Wednesday, powering into the US Open semi-finals with a clinical 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over childhood friend Andrey Rublev.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are just one step away from a US Open semi-final clash but both face tricky challenges to set up what would be their maiden encounter at Flushing Meadows.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna have reached the quarter-finals of their respective events at the US Open but the fledgling partnership of Leander Paes and Purav Raja has fallen flat yet again.
Danish teenager Holger Rune fought back from a set down to beat hot favourite Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and win his first Masters title in Paris on Sunday.
Men's tennis steps into the unknown next week when the young guns expected to follow in the footsteps of the current golden generation contest the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
In the women's draw, Angelique Kerber was knocked out in a 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Czech Katerina Siniakova while Coco Gauf won her first ever match on clay.
Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney, event organisers said on Wednesday, raising further doubts over whether the world number one will defend his Australian Open title next month.
The tournaments involve eight players each, divided into two pools of four on a round-robin basis. Sets have been slashed to best-of-seven games.
Look who we spotted at the Flushing Meadows this year.
Nick Kyrgios produced a serve-and-volley masterclass to topple world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 for his eighth straight win on a day of upsets, while American Tommy Paul rallied to beat Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will clash for the Italian Open title after the top two seeds advanced to the final of the Masters tournament on Saturday.
Grigor Dimitrov dispatched American 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in straight sets with a convincing 6-2 6-3 6-2 victory on Sunday.
Certainly the prospect of another showdown at the US Open in a few weeks is exciting, but whether or not 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic can stretch his career long enough to battle Carlos Alcaraz on a regular basis is questionable.
A summary of Wednesday's action at the US Open.
Exodus of big guns opens up bottom half of men's draw
Frances Tiafoe is the first American man to make a US Open semi-final since Andy Roddick in 2006.
Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed an incident-free path into the third round of the French Open with a win over Roberto Carballes Baena.
Ramkumar Ramanathan recorded the second-biggest win of his career by shocking world number 98 Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the opening round of the ATP Chennai Open but there was no end to Somdev Devvarman's struggle as he was knocked out of the singles event, in Chennai on Tuesday.
Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan said on Friday he would not attend his son's Australian Open semi-final and would instead "watch from home".
The ATP Finals, in its 50th edition, is being staged in London's O2 Arena for the 12th and last time before it moves to Turin and sadly plans for a vibrant farewell party in front of the usual sell-out crowds has been scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
'My arm has been -- I have had an issue there for quite a while now. It has gotten bigger in the last couple of weeks, so I'm just trying to protect it.'
Carlos Alcaraz crashed to a humbling 6-3 7-6(4) defeat by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open.
Giovanni Bartocci stood outside Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday shouting encouragement - and eventually employing a microphone and loudspeaker - as the Italian dismantled opponent Casper Ruud in straight sets on Court 17.
India's Leander Paes and Purav Raja sailed into the men's doubles second round in the duo's first outing at a Grand Slam but Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of their respective events in the US Open.
Images from Day 6 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic stayed on course as he entered the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Monday.