Matteo Berrettini after Stuttgart victory: Why not Wimbledon?
Matteo Berrettini (ATP No. 10) once again demonstrated his passion for grass at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart. What does this mean for Wimbledon?
by Florian Goosman from Stuttgart
last edit: Jun 12, 2022, 07:26 pm
Matteo Berrettini was not necessarily to be expected as the winner of the Boss Open in 2022 . The simple reason: Berrettini had injured himself in Indian Wells, an operation on his right hand followed and a three-month break. "At the beginning you didn't know how much weight I could put on my hand. Then I worked really hard to come back," said Berrettini after beating Andy Murray in the final at Weissenhof.
Impressive as always when the Italian plays: the brutal serve, usually followed by a brutal forehand. He has a fast hand and a fast arm, Berrettini explained, and the forehand was his parade shot even when he was young. The hard serve came later.
And the 26-year-old uses this station wagon mercilessly. Even Andy Murray, one of the world's best returns, rarely managed to give Berrettini a backhand when the first serve came. And hardly anyone else at the top of the world can do that.
Tennis on grass: what for the older ones
Tennis on grass, it's difficult for young players, Alexander Zverev once explained - because there are only a few weeks a year when grass is played. The "oldies" therefore have the advantage of years of practice. See: Roger Federer. See: Novak Djokovic. See: Andy Murray.
Berrettini is probably the best of the next generation on the grass - as he proved last year by reaching the final in Wimbledon, where defensive artist Novak Djokovic actually managed to bring Berrettini's backhand into play more often. And tempting him to take even more risks when hitting forehand.
Does Berrettini have a shot at the Wimbledon Cup in 2022? "I always go into a Grand Slam tournament with confidence and believe that I can win it," said Berrettini. "I know I have the level to do it. The goal is to get to Wimbledon and play for the trophy." At the Australian Open this year, too, he only lost in the semifinals against eventual winner Rafael Nadal.
He is now mentally rested after the forced break, and even if he didn't play his best tennis in the Stuttgart week, he was mentally there.
Berrettini will try to get the grass practice that is still missing. On Sunday evening he went directly to Queen's, where he hopes to start (not until) Tuesday. "My body hurts after three months without a match," he admitted.
"I love playing on grass," Berrettini said at the end. "And hopefully I can celebrate a few more wins in England."