For some time, Matteo Berrettini was the leading man in Italian tennis. The 28-year-old became just the fourth Italian to crack the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2019 and then in 2021 he reached his maiden major final at Wimbledon, taking the first set against Novak Djokovic before falling.
While Berrettini was making his mark at the top of the Tour, a gangly, curly red-haired teen named Jannik Sinner was at the start of his ascent. In the same year that Berrettini cracked the Top 10, Sinner made his debut at the US Open before he won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF that November.
Sinner then rose into the Top 10 for the first time in July 2022, two weeks after Berrettini dropped out. He arrives at Wimbledon this week as the World No. 1 and the Australian Open champion, having firmly taken the Italian baton from Berrettini.
Sinner and Berrettini will now go face-to-face in a blockbuster second-round clash at Wimbledon on Wednesday, when the 22-year-old will be the favourite given their recent trajectories.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Berrettini reflects fondly on the first time he hit with Sinner.
“The first time I played with him was in Monte-Carlo in 2019,” said Berrettini, who trails his countryman 0-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “I felt something special. I'm not really good at saying, ‘Oh, this kid at 14 is going to be No. 1 in the World’. I don't have this kind of sight. But I felt, ‘OK, this kid is going to be really, really good’. It was impressive. Also, the way he was learning so fast and his attitude. It was just a learning process all the time. And he is still doing that. I think that's why he went up so quickly in a way.”
Photo Credit: ATP Tour.
While Berrettini missed large periods of the 2023 season due to injury, Sinner was laying down an impressive marker. The 14-time tour-level champ won 20 of his final 22 matches of the season, reaching the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals and lifting trophies in Beijing and Vienna. Sinner crowned his season by leading Italy to Davis Cup glory in November, saving match points to defeat Novak Djokovic en route.
Berrettini was courtside for the 22-year-old’s victories in Malaga and was stunned by what he witnessed.
“At the end of last year I was injured and I wasn't on Tour to see him live with my eyes. And then I had the chance to go to the Davis Cup and it was unbelievable,” Berrettini said. “It was like we were looking at each other saying, ‘Is this guy real?’ Because he wasn't missing. Hitting every ball full power. It was just the confidence that he built throughout the year was unbelievable. Just kept improving all the things that he is working on with his coaches.
“I think his secret is that he is really hungry for improvement. That's his secret. And the humbleness that he has about it. Personally, it gives me so much energy to just try to be there and to play against him and to be at his level. For me, it's really useful.”
Serving up some Day 1 wins ☝️🔥@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/EqO82VcFL5
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 1, 2024
Sinner, who is 39-3 on the season, reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon 12 months ago. Berrettini holds a 13-4 record at SW19 and arrives in good form, having advanced to the final at the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart.
Sinner is aware of the challenge ahead of him on Wednesday when he takes on Berrettini, who has won four tour-level grass-court titles.
"It's a tough one for sure,” Sinner said. “He played the final here and he knows very well how to play on this surface so it’s a big challenge for me.”
Sinner and Berrettini were two of nine Italian men who competed in the first round at Wimbledon, with the European nation having nine men inside the Top 100. Only France and the United States have more.
Berrettini believes a mindset shift has been crucial in Italy’s ongoing success.
“It's unbelievable if you think about how many players there are. Even to qualify for the Olympics, you have to be in the Top 40, which some years ago would have been just crazy to think about,” Berrettini said when reflecting on the current crop of Italian players. “Sometimes I think I was kind of the first one of this generation. Like I used to be the young one, and now I'm the older one. But I think it's great for everybody: for the players, firstly, and then for tennis fans. There are so many in Italy. For the whole movement.
“I think all the Italians are proud of what we're doing. Obviously, now Jannik is doing things that are unbelievable, but also the other guys are doing [well]. Musetti was in the final at Queen’s… If you think about other sports in the past, there were some golden eras.
“I think what is happening or what changed is that all the guys that I see right now, they really believe in achieving their best. I think we started looking at something that we could achieve. Before it was like, ‘Oh, wow, Top 10. Italians, it's not possible’. Our mindset changed.”
For now, Berrettini will be fully focused on himself. Chasing a sixth Top 5 win and first since January 2023, the 28-year-old will be eager to send out a reminder of what he is capable of
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies
