Matteo Berrettini’s high-powered recreation has taken him as excessive as No. 6 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in addition to to a Wimbledon last, with the Italian’s fearsome serve and forehand two of probably the most exhilarating pictures within the trendy recreation.
Yet Berrettini’s on-court depth contrasts starkly together with his manner off courtroom, the place he’s an easy-going, heat and charming presence on Tour. Now one of many focal factors of Netflix’s new documentary collection Break Point, ATPTour.com takes a have a look at 5 issues you might not know concerning the charismatic Italian.
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1. His Younger Brother Jacopo Inspired Him To Come Back To Tennis
Berrettini stopped enjoying tennis when he was six years outdated as he most popular swimming and particularly judo. It was his youthful brother Jacopo who requested Matteo to attempt the game once more a few years later and the Italian has not appeared again since. The brothers have even performed doubles collectively on the ATP Tour.
“‘My entire household performed tennis,” Berrettini defined to Head.com. “My dad and mom had been members of a tennis membership in Rome however at first I didn’t actually like it that a lot… But once I was eight my little brother Jacopo, who was already enjoying tennis, instructed me ‘Come again. Try once more. You’ll prefer it.’ And so I did, and I by no means stopped.”
Matteo Berrettini and youthful brother Jacopo Berrettini get pleasure from Sardinian meals in Cagliari in 2021.
2. He Played a Key Role In A Historic Weekend For Italian Sport
In 2021, Berrettini grew to become the primary Italian man in historical past to achieve the ultimate at Wimbledon last, the place his dream run was in the end ended by Novak Djokovic within the championship match. Despite that disappointment, simply hours later Berrettini dashed throughout London to Wembley Stadium to witness the Italian nationwide soccer workforce carry the European Championships’ trophy after defeating host nation England on penalties.
“I wanted to see this match live to try to let the disappointment [of Wimbledon] go,” Berrettini, who’s mates with a number of Italian footballers and joined his countrymen of their post-match celebrations, instructed Sky Sports Italia. “It was cool. I was more nervous than my parents were during my Wimbledon final!”
3. He Almost Took The Academic Route To Tour
Berrettini’s path to turning into a member of the tennis elite nearly concerned as many books as baseline drills. The Italian, whose favorite college topic was historical past, enjoys studying the works of Charles Bukowski and has named his favorite guide as Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. In an interview with GQ final yr, he revealed that he critically thought-about enjoying faculty tennis earlier than taking the choice to show professional.
“I completed highschool, and my dad and mom had been asking me, ‘Do you wish to go to varsity within the US? Do you wish to begin faculty right here in Italy?’” stated Berrettini. “And I stated, ‘Guys, give me a few years, and let’s have a look at the place I can get to. If I do not attain the extent I wish to attain, then I’m going to do one thing else’. And it went properly, so I did not have time for school.”
4. He Embraces ‘Pasta Power’
Berrettini’s 2019 run to the US Open semi-finals was powered by a post-match pasta behavior from his buddy Giovanni Bartocci’s Manhattan restaurant, Via Della Pace. “I’m from Roma, so carbonara [is what I eat there],” stated Berrettini, earlier than admitting that his go-to dish doesn’t essentially align with the food regimen of an elite athlete. “Maybe I should not say that, however it will be a heavy plate!”
Berrettini has turn out to be used to Bartocci as a daily and vocal supporter throughout his matches in New York, the place he additionally reached the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2022. “He’s unbelievable,” stated Berrettini of the restaurateur after one in all his 2019 US Open victories. “He was screaming because the warm-up… He’s a particular man, able to cheer and in addition to make us snicker, as a result of he is a personality.”
5. He Isn’t Afraid To Prank His Coach
Berrettini has been below the steering of coach Vincenzo Santopadre since he was 14. The 26-year-old has retained his belief in his childhood coach all through his journey to the Top 10, and the longevity of the pair’s working relationship may very well be attributed to their means to have enjoyable with one another as soon as they step off the courtroom.
“I nearly have a father-son relationship with my coach,” Berrettini instructed ATPTour.com in 2021. “We joke, I prank him, I file him whereas he’s asleep, I wake him up… I pay him, so I can get away with it!”
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