After coming through in three tight sets 7-6, 5-7, 7-5 against eighth seed Roman Safiullin, Matteo Berrettini spoke at length with a glint in his eye about the hard work he has put in on his journey back to the top, and the potential rewards that lie ahead.
“It was good that I played so long today. It was good preparation,” he said. “Whenever I go out on court, it’s the most important match for me. Of course, not all are weighted equally. Wimbledon is Wimbledon. But this tournament here is particularly important for me. I’m happy that I had a good match.”
Safiullin is currently ranked 43 and clearly knows his way around the court, having been ranked as high as two in the world on the junior circuit. But Berrettini was grateful for the extra time on court as he experienced match play after a long time out.
“I was expecting a tough match,” said Berrettini. “He served well, I haven’t played much in the last few months. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’m proud of the way I fought my way through. It certainly wasn’t my best level. But that’s important: winning when you’re not playing at your best level. I think I found my rhythm better during the match. You need matches for that. Training is not like a match.”
The Italian, who was the first from his country to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2021 since Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open, was not worried about his standard of play, but rather the number of matches he has – or rather has not played this season.
“When I’ve played this year, I’ve played well. It’s not so much about my level. My strokes are there, I feel good on court. It’s just about playing matches. The crowd, the atmosphere, the big points, you only get them in a real match. The more I play, the more confident I become, fatigue is secondary. It’s been so long since I had to fend off a break point. The more I play now, the better it gets.”
While most players talk about the pain of winning tough matches or tournaments, the twenty-eight-year-old instead chose to talk about the agony of not playing while injured: “It was tough not being able to go to the gym or play balls. I’m stronger now. I’m feeling good at the moment, I’ve worked hard to start the grass court season as well as possible. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t fit. It’s all about the matches. I’m pushing myself to the limit after all the things that have happened to me.”
Next up, Berrettini faces Canada’s Denis Shapavalov who has beaten him twice in their two meetings. But he feels very much at home on the centre court here in Stuttgart, and has a special bond with the crowd: “There’s been a very special vibe for me here since 2019. It was my first real grass court season back then. I played Nick Kyrgios in the first round, which was tough. But I got great support from the very first match. Not only from the Italian community, but also from the Germans. Every tournament that you win twice is something special.”
Berrettini is one of the few players who likes the faster surface, and with a 37-8 record on grass, he will be quietly relishing his prospects, not only to add a third title here, but also going deep atthe third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon in just over two weeks’ time.
