Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters
Country (sports) Italy
ResidenceMonte Carlo, Monaco
Born (1996-04-12) 12 April 1996[1]
Rome, Italy
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Turned pro2015
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachItaly Vincenzo Santopadre (2011-Oct 2023)
Spain Francisco Roig (Dec 2023-present)
Prize moneyUS $11,546,845 [2]
Singles
Career record156–86 (64.5% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles7
Highest rankingNo. 6 (31 January 2022)[3]
Current rankingNo. 124 (8 January 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (2022)
French OpenQF (2021)
WimbledonF (2021)
US OpenSF (2019)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsRR (2019, 2021)
Doubles
Career record23–23 (50.0% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 105 (22 July 2019)[4]
Current rankingNot ranked (23 October 2023)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (2019)
French Open2R (2019)
Wimbledon1R (2018)
US Open2R (2018)
Team competitions
Davis CupSF (2022)
Record: 5–4 (55.6%)
Last updated on: 15 January 2024.

Matteo Berrettini (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtɛːo berretˈtiːni];[5][6] born 12 April 1996) is an Italian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 6 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in January 2022, and world No. 105 in doubles, attained in July 2019. Berrettini has won seven ATP Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, and produced his best major performance by reaching the singles final of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. He also became the first man born in the 1990s and first Italian man to reach the quarterfinals or better at all four majors after earning his first Australian Open semifinal in 2022.

After turning professional in 2015, Berrettini won two singles titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour and three on the ATP Challenger Tour, breaking into the top 100 of the ATP rankings in May 2018. Two months later, he reached his first ATP Tour final at the 2018 Swiss Open, where he won his maiden title and made his top 60 debut. In 2019, after claiming two further titles at the Hungarian Open and Stuttgart Open, he entered into the top 25, and carried his momentum into his maiden career major semifinal at the US Open to end the year ranked in the top 10. Berrettini made additional strides in 2021 after reaching his first Masters 1000 final at the Madrid Open, winning his first ATP 500 title at the Queen's Club Championships, and becoming the first Italian player, male or female, to contest a Wimbledon singles final.Berrettini is known for his aggressive game style boosted by his large build. At 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in), Berrettini possesses one of the tour's fastest serves and often uses his heavy topspin forehand to dictate rallies and set up one-two punches, making him versatile on all surfaces. In order to compensate for his weaknesses, he often deploys his backhand slice to keep the ball low for his opponent and uses a blocked return to neutralize points. As an all-court player, he has also developed these tactics to be comfortable at the net to close points.

Professional career

2017: ATP and Masters 1000 debuts

Berrettini made his ATP main draw debut at the Italian Open after earning a wildcard in the pre-qualifying wildcard tournament.[7] 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.[8]

2018: First title

After qualifying for the 2018 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, ranked No. 135, he notched his first tour-level win over No. 55 Viktor Troicki. On his next tournament, he entered his first Grand Slam main draw as a lucky loser at Australian Open but lost in the first round to No. 27 Adrian Mannarino.

He entered the 2018 BNP Paribas Open as a lucky loser replacing 17th seed Nick Kyrgios directly in the second round.

At the Swiss Open Gstaad, Berrettini won his first ATP title, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in the final.[9] He also won his first ATP doubles title at the same event, partnering with Daniele Bracciali.[10]

2019: Major semifinal and top 10

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).[11] 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?"[12]

Berrettini withdrew from his next two events in Gstaad and Montreal, citing an ankle injury.[13] 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.[14] He then beat Gaël Monfils in a fifth set tiebreak to become the first Italian man to reach the US Open semifinals since 1977.[15] 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.[16]

2020: Stagnant results

After withdrawing from the ATP Cup due to physical problems, at the Australian Open, Berrettini beat Andrew Harris before losing to Tennys Sandgren in the second round. 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: Wimbledon final

Berrettini in 2021

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.[17] 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.[18] 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,[19] 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).[20][21]

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.[22] 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.[23][24] 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.[25]

2022: Australian Open semis, world No. 6

At the Australian Open, Berrettini reached the quarterfinals for the first time after defeating Brandon Nakashima, Stefan Kozlov, Carlos Alcaraz, 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.[26][27] By defeating Monfils in five sets, Berrettini then became the first Italian man to reach the singles semifinals at the tournament.[28][29] There, he was stopped by eventual champion Nadal in four sets,[30] but as a result of his run, he improved to a career-high ranking of world No. 6. Following a poor outing in Rio de Janeiro and an early retirement in Acapulco, he then traveled to Indian Wells, where he was dispatched in the fourth round by Miomir Kecmanović in three sets.[31] Soon after, Berrettini announced that he had sustained an injury to his right hand that necessitated emergency surgery, forcing him to withdraw from Miami and the tour's clay swing, including the French Open, in order to fully recover.[32][33]

Berrettini returned for the tour's grasscourt season at the Stuttgart Open in early June, and found his form by winning the title.[34] He later confirmed his form, winning his second title at the Queen's Club Championships.[35]

He withdrew from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships after testing positive for COVID-19.[36] In July 2022, Berrettini entered the Swiss Open Gstaad final and lost in three sets against Casper Ruud.[37] At the US Open, Berrettini defeated Andy Murray in the third round.[38] He reached the quarterfinals after defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in five sets.[39] In the quarterfinals, he lost to Casper Ruud in straight sets.[40] At the 2022 Laver Cup, Berrettini was named an alternate for Team Europe, and replaced Roger Federer mid-tournament, after Federer played the final match of his career in doubles.[41]

2023: Injuries, form and ranking decline

Berrettini started his season at the inaugural edition of the United Cup, defeating Thaigo Monteiro and Casper Ruud in straight sets. Then, he beat Hubert Hurkacz in three sets to help Team Italy move on to the semifinals. He lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. Italy still made the final though, but Berrettini lost to Taylor Fritz in the final, giving team USA the title.

He then played the 2023 Australian Open, losing to former world No. 1 Andy Murray in the first round in five tight sets in a close to a five hours match thriller.[42] After that, he played the Mexican Open, defeating Alex Molčan and Elias Ymer, before retiring to Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.

He lost in the second round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open to Taro Daniel. He then played the Arizona Tennis Classic, an ATP Challenger 175 tournament. He beat Mattia Bellucci, and Aleksandar Vukic, before losing to Alexander Shevchenko in the quarterfinals. He lost also in the second round of the 2023 Miami Open. He won one match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters before he was forced to withdraw from his third round match. He skipped the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open, the 2023 Italian Open and the 2023 French Open. Injury also saw him miss the opportunity to defend his back to back titles at the Queen's Club Championships.

He beat Zverev at Wimbledon in three sets to advance to the fourth round, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.[43] At the US Open he retired in the second round putting an early end to his season. In October he split with his coach Santopadre.

Playing style

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. At 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in), he also possesses a strong serve, capable of reaching up to 235 km/h (146 mph).[44] His favorite surface is grass.[45] In describing his build, American former tennis player Jim Courier compared Berrettini to a rugby player or a linebacker and described how that laid the foundation for his game style.[46] Berrettini focuses on setting up quick points and hitting winners with aggressive play and putting pressure on his opponent.[47] 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 developed a blocked return and deploys his developed backhand slice to neutralize aggression and keep the ball low.[48] 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 consistency. He suffers most when put under pressure by opponents and is forced to defend on the run, especially when attacked on the backhand wing.[49] Prior to 2019, inconsistency was an obstacle to success.

Personal life

Born in Rome to Luca Berrettini and Claudia Bigo, Berrettini has a younger brother, Jacopo, who is also a tennis player. Berrettini is of partial Brazilian descent through his maternal grandmother Lucia Fogaça, a Brazilian born in Rio de Janeiro.[50][51]

From 2019 to 2022, he was in a relationship with Croatian-born Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanović.[52][53]

In January 2023 he was first seen publicly with his new girlfriend Italian television presenter Melissa Satta.[54]

Television and film

Berrettini appears in the tennis docuseries Break Point, which premiered on Netflix on January 13, 2023.[55]

In August 2023, Hugo Boss launched its new collection, featuring Berrettini, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Campbell, Suki Waterhouse, and Lee Min-ho in its campaign.[56]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current through the 2024 Australian Open.

Tournament20172018201920202021202220232024SRW–LWin%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R 1R 2R 4R[upper-alpha 1] SF 1R A 0 / 6 9–5 64%
French Open A 3R 2R 3R QF[upper-alpha 2] A A 0 / 4 8–4 67%
Wimbledon A 2R 4R NH F A 4R 0 / 4 13–4 76%
US Open Q2 1R SF 4R QF QF 2R 0 / 6 17–6 74%
Win–loss 0–0 3–4 9–4 6–3 16–3 9–2 4–3 0 / 20 47–19 71%
Year-end championships
ATP Finals DNQ RR Alt RR DNQ 0 / 2 1–3 25%
  1. Berrettini withdrew before the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open, which does not officially count as a loss.
  2. Berrettini's fourth round opponent, Roger Federer, withdrew before the fourth round of the 2021 French Open, which does not officially count as a win.

Important finals

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss2021WimbledonGrassSerbia Novak Djokovic7–6(7–4), 4–6, 4–6, 3–6

Masters 1000 tournament finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss2021Madrid OpenClayGermany Alexander Zverev7–6(10–8), 4–6, 3–6

See also

References

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  2. "ATP Prize Money Leaders" (PDF).
  3. "Rankings Singles". ATP Tour.
  4. "Rankings Doubles". ATP Tour.
  5. Luciano Canepari. "Matteo". DiPI Online (in Italian). Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. Luciano Canepari. "Berrettini". DiPI Online (in Italian). Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. "ATP/WTA ROMA – Prequalificazioni: Berrettini e Chiesa nel main draw!". Tennis World Italia (in Italian).
  8. "The Battle For The Eighth Spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals In Milan". Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. "ATP Gstaad: Matteo Berrettini downs Bautista Agut to conquer first title". Tennis World USA.
  10. "First-Time Winner Spotlight: Matteo Berrettini". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  11. "Berrettini's Serving Feat Second Only To Federer". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  12. "Berrettini Asks Federer How Much He Owes For Wimbledon Lesson". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  13. "Rising star Matteo Berrettini withdraws late from Montreal Masters". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  14. "Forza Matteo! Berrettini Reaches First Grand Slam QF". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
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  19. "cinch Championships at the Queen's Club Tournament". www.lta.org.uk.
  20. "cinch Championships 2021: Berrettini beats brave Norrie in three sets to win title". www.lta.org.uk.
  21. "Matteo Berrettini Blasts To Queen's Club Crown | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
  22. "Matteo Berrettini Beats Felix Auger-Aliassime To Make Italian History | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
  23. "Matteo Berrettini Seals Historic Wimbledon Final Berth With Hubert Hurkacz Victory | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
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  25. "Berrettini Withdraws From Nitto ATP Finals, Sinner Steps In". ATP Tour.
  26. Boccardi, Mario [@marioboc17] (23 January 2022). "Matteo #Berrettini is the first tennis player born in the 90s to reach the quarterfinals in every Major (1st Italian ever). Curiously, he hasn't beaten a top ten in Slams yet and won against a top ten since February 2021. Will he break the taboo in this tournament? #AusOpen https://t.co/oyhk9WE95X" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via Twitter.
  27. "Matteo Berrettini Powers into Australian Open QFS 2022 | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  28. "Matteo Berrettini's Firepower Ends Gaël Monfils' Run in Five-Set Epic".
  29. #AusOpen [@AustralianOpen] (25 January 2022). "Bravo, Matteo 👏🇮🇹 Berrettini becomes the first Italian man in singles history to reach the final four at the Australian Open #AusOpen • #AO2022• #AOTennis https://t.co/nMOeZg4zGt" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via Twitter.
  30. "Matteo Berrettini: 'I Will Learn from Rafa Defeat'".
  31. "Kecmanovic Stuns Berrettini To Reach QFs". Association of Tennis Professionals. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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  33. "Berrettini pulls out of French Open, targets return on grass". The Bakersfield Californian. Associated Press. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  34. "Scouting Report: Medvedev & Tsitsipas Headline In 's-Hertogenbosch & Stuttgart". Association of Tennis Professionals. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  35. "Berrettini, erba d'Italia. Batte Krajinovic: è ancora lui il re del Queen's". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  36. "Matteo Berrettini Withdraws from Wimbledon 2022 | ATP Tour | Tennis".
  37. Tennis.com. "Swiss Bliss: Casper Ruud repeats as Gstaad champion after overcoming Matteo Berrettini". Tennis.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  38. "Andy Murray knocked out by brilliant Matteo Berrettini in four sets in US Open third round". Eurosport. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  39. "Matteo Berrettini Beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina At US Open | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  40. "Casper Ruud Downs Matteo Berrettini At US Open | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  41. "Roger Federer names dream doubles partner for final match after confirming he won't play singles at Laver Cup". The Independent. 21 September 2022.
  42. https://www.atptour.com/en/news/berrettini-murray-australian-open-2023-r1
  43. Berrettini Edges Zverev In Serving Showcase
  44. "Men's & Women's Fastest Tennis Serves Ever Recorded". Tennis Creative. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  45. "Matteo Berrettini retains Queen's Club title to signal Wimbledon intent". TheGuardian.com. 19 June 2022.
  46. Waldstein, David (6 September 2019). "Matteo Berrettini: Late Bloomer and U.S. Open Semifinalist". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  47. Rothenberg, Ben (8 July 2021). "For Matteo Berrettini, This Wimbledon Was Years in the Making". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  48. Clarey, Christopher (29 July 2021). "It's Novak Djokovic vs. Matteo Berrettini in Wimbledon Final". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  49. Carayol, Tumaini (4 July 2021). "Explosive power of Matteo Berrettini makes him leader of challenging pack". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  50. Francesco Giovannetti. "Us Open, la madre di Matteo Berrettini: "Tennista per caso, ora sogno di vederlo diventare numero 1"". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  51. Alessia Cruciani. "Matteo Berrettini: "Se me l'avessero detto sei mesi fa non ci avrei creduto"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  52. "Matteo Berrettini and girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic enjoying shopping in Vienna". tennistonic.com. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  53. ""I'm single but it's not like something that I am looking for" - Matteo Berrettini clarifies relationship status after rumored break-up with Ajla Tomljanovic". sportskeeda.com. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  54. "How did Matteo Berrettini meet Melissa Satta?". firstsportz.com. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  55. "Tennis Docuseries 'Break Point' Is Coming to Make a Racket". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  56. "Boss taps eternal bosses for a masterclass on how to be, well, a boss". GQ. 22 August 2023.
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