The name of Matteo Berrettini is on everyone's lips. In Italy almost everyone now knows who he is, even those who have never seen a match in tennis. The Italian sportsman has in fact reached a historic milestone, competing in the final of Wimbledon 2021. An absolute record, considering why no Italian has managed to do the same in the past.
A tough face to face against the first tennis player in the world ranking, Novak Djokovic, among the greatest ever in this sport. An "alien", as many define him, managed to recover after the first set in favor of Berrettini. But let's try to get to know this young talent a little better, who will certainly continue to be talked about.
Matteo Berrettini, who he is and curiosity
Born in Rome on 12 April 1996, Matteo Berrettini is a 25-year-old tennis player, 1 meter tall at 96cm and weighing 95kg. He is a fan of tattoos, which find space on various parts of his body and is engaged to tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic. He is the son of Luca Berrettini and Claudia Bigo. His parents are huge fans of Matteo and followed him to Wimbledon, showing some tension during the final. At their side also the brother of the champion, Jacopo, also a tennis player. This is a passion that has been going on in the family for some time. The latter is of Tuscan origin, not Lazio, considering how the paternal grandfather was from Florence.
Matteo has always believed he could do it in this sport, to be able to assert himself at great levels. For this he tried to reconcile the many training sessions and competitions with the study, graduating as a private practitioner in the last year. On the curiosity front, he explained how as a child he was considered poor: “It took me a while to get passionate about this sport. In this sense my brother was decisive Jacopo. We are very united. It is no coincidence that I got his date of birth tattooed ”. He started thinking he could live off tennis in 2016, at the age of 20, having reached the first Challenger final in Puglia. However, everything took another turn in 2019, with the semifinal against Nadal at the US Open: “In New York I realized that I could stay at a certain level. From that point on, however, a continuity of results was needed ”.
On the sports front he is a football fan and rejoiced like a true fan at the victory of theItaly at Euro 2020. He was able to follow the final at Wembley, perhaps a little regretful at the idea that a talent like Chiesa, former Fiorentina, a phenomenon on the pitch with the Azzurri, is now Juventus. A hypothesis that finds fertile ground in the purple typhus that characterizes Berrettini. In this sense it follows the Tuscan origins. Another sport that has captured his heart is basketball and its legend is LeBron James. What about tennis instead? Heart beats for Roger Federer.
Matteo Berrettini's career
Matteo Berrettini entered the Wimbledon final against Djokovic from number 10 in the ATP ranking. The face-off, although it resulted in a defeat, allowed him to make a leap, reaching the eighth position. As mentioned, it was his younger brother Jacopo who pushed him to play tennis. His first teacher was Raoul Pietrangeli, technical director of the Circolo della Corte dei Conti in Rome. He followed him from 2003 to 2010, when he then found space at the Aniene Rowing Club in Rome. Since then, Vincenzo Santopadre has followed him.
He is one of the best hopes of Italian tennis. In 2019 he reached the semifinals of the US Open, later becoming the third Italian to qualify for the ATP Finals. In the same year he reached eighth place in the ATP ranking for the first time, where he is back today. He is also the only Italian male tennis player to have ever reached at least the round of XNUMX of all four Grand Slam tournaments, in singles.
His personal showcase boasts 5 ATP titles out of eight finals played. Going back in time, in 2017 he entered the top 300 in the world for the first time. The first qualification for an ATP tournament, however, comes in 2018. His talent allows him to burn some stages, especially for the general standards of Italian tennis. Leap forward in Gstaad, where he wins the first ATP 250 tournament, entering the top 60 in the world. Here are his triumphs:
- J.Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad, Gstaad (clay): in the final against Roberto Bautista Agut
- Hungarian Open, Budapest (clay): in the final against Filip Krajinovic
- Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart (grass): in the final against Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Serbia Open, Belgrade (clay): in the final against Asian Karacev
- Queen's Club Championships, London (grass): in the final against Cameron Norrie
Private life
Since 2019 he is officially linked to the tennis player Ajla tomljanovic, born in Zagreb on May 7, 1993. She is three years older than Matteo, Croatian and naturalized Australian. During his career he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon 2021. His best ranking is the 39th position, obtained in 2019. Theirs is already one of the most famous and followed couples in international tennis.
The couple spent the months of quarantine in Florida, although he lives permanently in Monte Carlo. Interviewed by "Sky", Berrettini revealed some intimate details of their relationship. He explained that he had courted her for a long time and that the couple's language is officially English: “When we fight, however, I speak Italian. You say that when I speak in English they are from 8, on a scale from 1 to 10. When I speak Italian, however, they are from 10 ”. This is why she is trying to learn Italian. This according to an interview with him, during which he also explained that he loves our local food: “Above all, pasta with cheese and pepper and with garlic, oil and chilli”.
Upcoming commitments
The Wimbledon final, lost to Djokovic, will be a fundamental treasure for Matteo Berrettini's career. He is one of the greats of international tennis and no one can deny it. He leaves the historic field with the second place plan received by the Duke of Kent, but the future is already written for him and he certainly has great things in store. In addition, he takes home 900 thousand pounds, or more than a million euros, a nice gift for himself and his staff.
He already has the next goal in mind, which will start with a trip to Japan, to Tokyo specifically, so as to take part in the Olympics. The departure is scheduled for next Monday. The tournament will officially start on July 23rd. An unexpected choice, considering for example Sinner's program, which in those days will be at the ATP 250 in Atlanta: “I go to the Olympics because I believe in it. I know I can do well and then a medal would be a dream ”.
Featured photo source: © si.robi - Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
