Matteo Berrettini: The further ahead, the more complicated
Matteo Berrettini gave information about the difficulties on the way to the top of the world in the Eurosport series “Players' Voice”.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Mar 06, 2021, 01:25 pm
The tennis year 2021 started ambivalent for Matteo Berrettini: Apart from the defeat against Danill Medvedev in the final of the ATP Cup, the Italian showed convincing athletic performances. Until then his body went on strike again - and Berrettini made it impossible to compete in the round of 16 of the Australian Open against Stefanos Tsitsipas. And so the 2019 US Open semi-finalist has to wait again for his abdominal muscles to get back to normal.
After all, this gave Matteo Berrettini enough time and leisure to give insights into his inner workings for the Eurosport series “Players' Voice”.
Here are some excerpts ...
... When I played Roger Federer on Center Court at Wimbledon in 2019, it was a massive result for a player like me who had never come this far in a major. But with that I rose in the rankings - and a year later at the US Open the fourth round was suddenly perceived as “not good enough”.
... When you get close to the top of the world, there are so many things to deal with. And not only in a sporting way, but also in a personal way. Before that, my life seemed so much easier: I go to the court, I play tennis, I think about winning. There are so many things to think about these days: Managing expectations - those of others as well as mine. But also to maintain my relationships.
... It takes time to adjust and get used to the new reality. There are players who take longer to do this, while others are faster. Family and friends mean so much to me, which may be why it took me longer to get to this point.