After what has been a turbulent year, Matteo Berrettini believes he can be amongst the best players in the world once again.
This former Wimbledon finalist has endured a roller-coaster season which has been partly affected by injury. In March, he underwent hand surgery which sidelined him from the entire clay court swing. Berrettini then staged a triumphant comeback by winning back-to-back titles on the grass before withdrawing from Wimbledon after testing positive for COVID-19. More recently, he has been troubled by a foot problem.
Looking to put those setbacks behind him, the 26-year-old is aiming to return to top form in the new year with Grand Slam glory on his mind. He is already the first male player from his country to have reached the quarter-finals or better at every major event at least once.
“I see my chances of winning a Slam,” Berrettini told Eurosport. “I was not that far from doing it in previous years. That’s for sure a goal.
“Obviously, I had to think about my health first because if there isn’t that it’s tough to play.
“But once you get there and you’re feeling good, then obviously the goal is to win a Grand Slam, to win a Masters 1000, to have long runs in the most important tournaments in the world and I think I can do that.”
Berrettini has won 32 matches on the Tour this year but none of those was against top-10 opposition. In his final tournament of 2022, he reached the final of the Naples Open before losing to compatriot Lorenzo Musetti.
“Last year, before the hand surgery I was at my best ranking. I was sixth in the world. I know that it is my level and I know I can get back there. Why not even better?” He stated.
The world No.16 is among a series of top players taking part in this week’s Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia. He lost his opening match in three tiebreakers to Stan Wawrinka. However, Berrettini has progressed to the final of the doubles tournament alongside Andrey Rublev.
So far in his career, Berrettini has won seven Tour titles and earned more than $10.5M in prize money.
