Matteo Berrettini will be one of the men to watch closely in the next Wimbledon for which only a few days remain. The transalpine slugger arrives at the All England Club with the rank of being one of the main candidates for the title, having won two tournaments on grass on this tour, such as Stuttgart and Queen’s. And it is that Matteo has become a life insurance on grass, a huge specialist who although, as he himself affirms, it was not so clear for years that he was going to like that surface. He spoke in an interview for The Team about the previous Wimbledon tournament and also that controversial decision of the ATP not to award points in the third Grand Slam of the year.
Huge memories still of his final in 2021 at Wimbledon
“I can’t believe it’s already been a year of that. I still remember very vividly everything that happened then. The day before the final, the final itself, after it. Everyone in headquarters chanting my name. That There was tension in the first set and in the final stretch. London was crazy that day because the final of the European Championship was also going to be played between England and Italy.”
Disappointment over the decision not to award ATP points after the Wimbledon ban to Russians and Belarusians
“When I found out about the decision, I was quite upset and it still upsets me. I think it’s something quite unfair. At the very least, they should have warned the players at the time and explained to us what was happening. It’s true that the situation is not easy, that the Russians and Belarusians don’t deserve not to be able to play, but at least in a situation like this, players should be asked for their opinion and what they think of the whole thing.
With this situation, Wimbledon continues to be a tournament that certainly motivates, although on the other hand for nothing. Knowing that winning three tournaments in a row including Wimbledon will not help you to avoid falling out of the ‘top ten’ and beyond 20th is something quite unpleasant. If I know beforehand that I won’t give Wimbledon points, I still change my planning to get those points back or I push in some way. I didn’t play Roland Garros because I didn’t feel ready and I didn’t want to rush my comeback but maybe I would have tried to play it if I knew this before. But in any case, and although I know it will be difficult, I am confident in getting back into the top 10 because I have been able to do it in the past.
The love for weed was not exactly at first sight
“The sensations when I was on grass were not good, I could never move well. But everything changed when I played a Davis Cup series against India on grass. I liked it a lot there. I felt better, I felt that my serve worked better, especially with the cut. I even felt sorry that the grass season was so short.”
Your facet as a model and how it makes you feel
“I understand that it is a topic that makes people talk and that people like me. But that facet does not define me at all. The interviews that are done to me are because I am a tennis player, not a model. I naturally like to hear what they tell me that I’m handsome, but they should thank my mother more. Physique may attract sponsors, but it doesn’t make you play better. Otherwise the number one in the world would be the most beautiful person of all.”
