Matteo Berrettini

Matteo Berrettini

File:Matteo Berrettini, 2021.jpg Berrettini in 2021
Country (sports)	Italy
Born	(1996-04-12) 12 April 1996 Rome, Lazio, Italy
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Turned pro	2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach(es)	Vincenzo Santopadre, Marco Gulisano, Umberto Rianna
Prize money	US$9,279,844
Singles
Career record	121–69 (63.68% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 6 (31 January 2022)
Current ranking	No. 8 (9 May 2022)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	SF (2022)
French Open	QF (2021)
Wimbledon	F (2021)
US Open	SF (2019)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2019, 2021)
Doubles
Career record	22–19 (53.66% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 105 (22 July 2019)
Current ranking	No. 259 (21 February 2022)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2019)
French Open	2R (2019)
Wimbledon	1R (2018)
US Open	2R (2018)
Last updated on: 22 February 2022.

Matteo Berrettini (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtɛːo berretˈtiːni]; born 12 April 1996) is an Italian professional tennis player. He is ranked as world No. 10 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 105, achieved on 22 July 2019. Berrettini reached the final of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and the semifinals of the 2019 US Open and 2022 Australian Open. He won his first ATP Tour 500 level event at the 2021 Queen's Club Championships.

Professional career

2017: ATP main draw debut

Berrettini made his ATP main draw debut at the Italian Open after earning a wildcard in the pre-qualifying wildcard tournament. He was defeated by Fabio Fognini in the first round. He was the top seed in the eight man Italian field competing for the final spot in the inaugural Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan, but lost to Filippo Baldi in straight sets.

2018: First ATP title

At the Swiss Open Gstaad, Berrettini won his first ATP title, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in the final. He also won his first ATP doubles title at the same event, partnering with Daniele Bracciali.

2019: First Grand Slam semifinal, Top 10 and ATP Finals debuts

At the Hungarian Open, Berrettini won his second ATP singles title, defeating Filip Krajinović in the final. Berrettini continued his form into the following week as he reached the final at the Bavarian International Tennis Championships. There, his nine-match winning streak was snapped by Cristian Garín in a third set tie-breaker. At the Italian Open, Berrettini upset Alexander Zverev in the round of 32 for his first win against a top-5 player.

Berrettini's improvement continued into the grass court season, winning his third singles title in Stuttgart over Félix Auger-Aliassime in the final. Berrettini's serve was not broken throughout the entire tournament, thereby making him only the fifth man since 1999 to win two tournaments without dropping serve (the other occasion coming at the 2018 Gstaad Open). The following week, Berrettini reached his first ATP 500 semifinal at the Halle Open where he was defeated by David Goffin. Following the tournament, the Italian broke into the top-20.

As the 17th seed at Wimbledon, Berrettini reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time after defeating Diego Schwartzman in five sets. He then lost to eight-time champion Roger Federer comprehensively in 74 minutes. After congratulating Federer for his win during their post-match handshake, Berrettini jokingly asked Federer, "Thanks for the tennis lesson, how much do I owe you?"

Berrettini withdrew from his next two events in Gstaad and Montreal, citing an ankle injury. He played a lead-up tournament in Cincinnati before competing in the US Open. There, despite his lack of preparation, Berettini reached his first Major quarterfinal after defeating Andrey Rublev in the fourth round. He then beat Gaël Monfils in a fifth set tiebreak to become the first Italian man to reach the US Open semifinals since 1977. Berrettini's run ended against eventual champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets, despite holding two set points in the opening-set tiebreak.

Pursuing an ATP Finals berth, Berrettini achieved his best Masters result yet at the Shanghai Masters by reaching the semifinals. Along the way Berrettini claimed his second career top-5 victory by beating Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals. Another semifinal appearance at the Vienna Open saw Berrettini break into the top ten rankings. As world number 8, Berrettini claimed the final spot in the 2019 ATP Finals in London. There, he lost his opening two round robin matches to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, before becoming the first Italian man to win a match at the event by defeating Dominic Thiem.

2020: COVID-19 pandemic, weaker results

After withdrawing from the 2020 ATP Cup due to physical problems, at the Australian Open, Berrettini beat Andrew Harris before losing to Tennys Sandgren. After the tour shutdown and return due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he won the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. He lost in the third round to Reilly Opelka in Cincinnati.

At the US Open, he reached the fourth round without dropping a set. He then lost to Andrey Rublev in four sets in a rematch of the previous year's fourth round.

He reached the quarterfinals in Rome for the first time, losing to Casper Ruud. Berrettini reached the third round at the French Open. At the Paris Masters, he lost to Marcos Giron in the first round, citing physical pain. Despite his weak results, Berrettini finished in the top-10 for the second consecutive year (due to his 2019 ranking points being protected by the post COVID-19 ranking changes).

2021: First Grand Slam and Masters 1000 finals, first ATP 500 title, ATP Cup final

Berrettini's strong performance advanced Italy to the final of the 2021 ATP Cup against Russia, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. At the Australian Open, he reached the fourth round but withdrew from the tournament with abdominal pain. Berrettini remained out of competition until the clay season in April, where he won his first singles title in over a year at the Serbia Open over Aslan Karatsev. In May at the Madrid Open, he reached his first Masters 1000 final, which he lost to Alexander Zverev in three sets.

At the French Open, Berrettini became the first Italian man to reach the fourth round at each major. He reached his second career major quarterfinal when Roger Federer withdrew ahead of their fourth-round match. In the quarterfinals, he lost in four sets against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

On 20 June Berrettini won the biggest title of his career at the Queen's Club Championships, his first at the ATP 500 level. He became the first Italian in history to win this title, defeating three Britons en route (Andy Murray, Dan Evans, and Cameron Norrie).

At the Wimbledon Championships, Berrettini reached his second straight Major quarterfinal, then defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal, becoming the first Italian man in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon semifinals and the first since Nicola Pietrangeli in 1960. He advanced to his maiden major final after beating Hubert Hurkacz, becoming the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final and the first Italian man to reach a major final since Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets.

At the US Open, Berrettini reached the quarterfinals following wins over Ilya Ivashka and Oscar Otte. He then lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets, in a repeat of the Wimbledon final. At the ATP Finals, Berrettini was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury during his first match with Alexander Zverev.

2022: Australian Open semifinals

At the Australian Open, Berrettini reached the quarterfinals for the first time, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in five sets and Pablo Carreño Busta en route. He became the first man born in the 1990s and the first Italian man to reach the quarterfinals at all four majors. He became the first Italian man to reach the singles semifinals at the tournament after defeating Gaël Monfils in five sets. In the semifinals, he lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets. As a result of his run, he improved to a career-high ranking of World No. 6. But due to an injury to his right hand and the subsequent surgery, Berrettini withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 events of Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, as well as the French Open to ensure a full recovery. He is due to make a return in the 2022 Grass Season.

Playing style

File:Berrettini RG18 (38) (28110478427).jpg

Berrettini's backhand

Berrettini is an aggressive all-court player known for his strong serve and forehand. His primary weapon is his forehand, known for its speed, spin and depth. He also possesses a strong serve, capable of reaching up to 235 km/h (146 mph). Berrettini focuses on setting up quick points and hitting winners with aggressive play and putting pressure on his opponent. His transitional and net game are also integral parts of his game to finish off points, and he has been known to serve-and-volley. His aggressive game grounded in big serves and forehands have led to many to compare him to Fernando González and Juan Martín del Potro.

Despite having a weaker and less consistent backhand, Berrettini has a strong backhand slice capable of neutralizing aggression and keeping the ball low. This slice allows him to set up aggressive forehands. He has good disguise on his dropshot on both wings, often following with an approach to the net.

Berrettini's weaknesses are his defensive game and inconsistency. He suffers most when put under pressure by opponents and is forced to defend on the run, especially when attacked on the backhand wing. Prior to 2019, Berrettini's inconsistency was also a major obstacle to his success, though it has shown signs of improvement since. However, drops in mental focus and his naturally aggressive game are responsible for his high number of unforced errors.

Personal life

Born in Rome to Luca Berrettini and Claudia Bigo, Matteo Berrettini has a younger brother, Jacopo, also a tennis player. Matteo is of partial Brazilian descent through his maternal grandmother Lucia Fogaça, a Brazilian born in Rio de Janeiro.

Career statistics

Main article: Matteo Berrettini career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

R#

RR

Q#

A

NH

(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; or (NH) tournament not held.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Current through the 2022 Australian Open.

Tournament	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	SR	W–L	Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	1R	2R	4R	SF	0 / 5	9–4	69%
French Open	A	3R	2R	3R	QF	A	0 / 4	8–4	67%
Wimbledon	A	2R	4R	NH	F		0 / 3	10–3	77%
US Open	Q2	1R	SF	4R	QF		0 / 4	12–4	75%
Win–loss	0–0	3–4	9–4	6–3	16–3	5–1	0 / 16	39–15	72%
Year-end championships
ATP Finals	DNQ		RR	Alt	RR		0 / 2	1–3	25%

Significant finals

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2021	Wimbledon	Grass	Novak Djokovic	7–6(7–4), 4–6, 4–6, 3–6

Masters 1000 tournament finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2021	Madrid Open	Clay	Alexander Zverev	7–6(10–8), 4–6, 3–6

See also

• Matteo Berrettini career statistics
• Italian players best ranking
• Tennis in Italy

External links

• Matteo Berrettini at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Matteo Berrettini at the International Tennis Federation
• Matteo Berrettini at the Davis Cup

Awards
Preceded by Stefanos Tsitsipas	ATP Most Improved Player 2019	Succeeded by Andrey Rublev