To say Matteo Berrettini has had a difficult preparation for Wimbledon this year would be an understatement.
Coming into the Grand Slam his only taste of grasscourt tennis this year on the Tour was a 6-1, 6-2, loss to Lorenzo Sonego in Stuttgart. For the past three months he has been sidelined from the sport due to an oblique injury he sustained in April at Monte Carlo. More recently, he was unable to defend his title in Queen’s last month due to an abdominal injury.
Yet at Wimbledon, he has found his footing rapidly. After beating Sonego and Alex de Minaur earlier in the week, he recorded his biggest scalp yet on Saturday by defeating 19th seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5). Incredibly this is his first win over a top-25 player on the Tour since January at the United Cup.
“I wasn’t sure even if I was going to play (at Wimbledon). I flew here and I said maybe the atmosphere is going to help me. I was not sure about it,” Berrettini said during his press conference.
“In order to play a slam, you have to be ready physically, emotionally, mentally. There are many things. The will is not enough.’
“I did a great job with my team. We worked really hard.”
Wimbledon is the scene of Berrettini’s greatest-ever Grand Slam run to date. In 2021 he became the first male player from his country to reach the final, which he lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic. Unfortunately, 12 months later he was unable to play at the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19.
“I’ve missed too many events in the last few years. I couldn’t leave this place without trying,” the Italian commented.
“This place has something special. I feel a kind of energy I don’t feel anywhere else.”
Berrettini’s next opponent will be top seed Carlos Alcaraz who needed more than four hours to win his third round match against Nicolas Jarry. It will be the fourth meeting between the two with all of their previous clashes going the full distance.
“It’s going to be a great challenge. But I’m so glad that I have this opportunity to play him. I remember watching him play Roland Garros (this year) on my TV. Now it’s going to be me against him. I’m really happy about that,” Berrettini reflected.
Alcaraz himself is expecting to face some thunderous hitting from Berrettini. The world No.1 is making only his third appearance at the tournament and is yet to reach the quarter-finals.
“I have to return well. Big serve and big shots as well. If I put all the returns in, I will be able to play a good match,” the Spaniard said about his upcoming match.
“If I return well, stay focused and play the level that I played from the baseline today, I am going to have a lot of chances.”
Berrettini is the second Italian man in history to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon on three occasions after Nicola Pietrangeli.
