Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini says no words can’t describe his feeling after securing a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals.
The world No.7 qualified for the end-of-season showdown on Monday after defeating Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the first round of the Vienna Open. Berrettini is set to become the first Italian man in history to have competed in the ATP Finals on multiple occasions. Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti only managed to make one appearance.
“My words aren’t going to describe the happiness I feel in my heart,” Berrettini told nittoatpfinals.com. “2020 was a tough year for me on and off the court. Here I am about to play my second [Nitto ATP] Finals and I can’t believe it. I always have to remember where I started. I didn’t dream about this, because it was so big, but now it’s happening. I want to do my best.”
Berrettini made his ATP Finals debut back in 2019 where he defeated Dominic Thiem but lost to both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. He failed to progress beyond the group stage. Last year he was an alternate at the tournament but didn’t play.
This year will be the first time the ATP Finals will take place in Berrettini’s home country of Italy. Turin has secured a deal to host the event until at least 2025 at the Pala Alpitour which is a multi-use indoor venue that staged the final of the 2006 Olympic ice hockey competition.
“When they were telling me in 2019 that the Finals would be in Turin, I remember the mayor of the city told me, ‘I’ll see you in Turin’. And I was, ‘Yeah, right’. Then I qualified for London and now I am qualifying for Turin. I really cannot describe how happy I am. I hope the country is really proud of me,” Berrettini commented.
The 25-year-old is the sixth player to officially qualify for the event which offers up to 1,500 points to an undefeated champion. So far this season he has achieved a win-loss record of 40-10. Besides reaching his first major final at Wimbledon, Berrettini has won two Tour titles in Belgrade and Queen’s, London. He is the highest ranked Italian man since Barazzutti back in 1978.
The Nitto ATP Finals will begin on November 14th. Daniil Medvedev, who has also qualified, is the defending champion.
