Berrettini, what satisfaction: there is none for anyone.
It will certainly not be an award that will decree what is under everyone’s eyes. And that is that Matteo Berrettini has put behind him a season that, despite its ups and downs, was absolutely memorable. He didn’t win a Masters 1000, he didn’t win a Slam, but the 3 titles he secured, along with the Davis Cup, despite not yet being back at 100%, are an unmistakable sign of his talent and his tremendous willpower.
It fits, then, that the Atp has singled him out as a possible recipient of one of the most special Awards there is: the award to the Comeback Player of the year, that is, to the best tennis player who has returned to the top of the rankings after a sudden setback. Like his own, to be exact, which had confined him to 154th in the world rankings, but following which he bounced back in a big way, all the way back to 34th in the men’s rankings.
It is not yet certain, however, that he will be the one to win this very welcome recognition. He will have to contend, in fact, with Kei Nishikori, who after being ranked 581st ended the season as number 106, and with Marin Cilic, who climbed up from 1095th place to 180th. Each in his or her own way, each in his or her own time, all climbed up the ladder and also up the rankings, collecting useful points in order to return to their former glory after a down period.
Berrettini flies: he convinced them all
The final word as to which of these 3 candidates deserves the Awards will be up to the International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA), but that does not detract from the fact that colleagues of those directly involved have already made up their minds.
If Steve Johnson is leaning toward the Nishikori hypothesis, Berrettini has been showered with compliments and expectations. Sam Querrey, John Isner and Jack Sock agree that this award belongs to him and no one else. “Cilic and Nishikori,” Querrey said, ”are great guys, I hope the best for them, but the answer is Matteo Berrettini. “Honestly, I couldn’t agree more,” Sock echoed him, ”I couldn’t even tell you what Nishikori has played, I know Cilic has won a tournament, Berrettini has won at least a title or two this year if I’m not mistaken (it’s 3, actually, ed.), and he’s made a decisive contribution in Davis Cup. Berrettini hands down.”
“Yes, it’s Berrettini,” Isner, for his part, confirmed, ”I’ve never really liked this list, I generally feel that there’s someone who comes back from a much worse situation, completely dropped from the rankings, someone who comes from 400th in the world and comes back to 30th or 40th in the world. Berrettini, I think he was 145 and he came in at 35 but he won three titles this year. Surprisingly all three came on clay which is certainly not his best surface. He’s a good guy, he was in the top 10 in the world, he got to a Slam final in the past and I hope he can improve his ranking again. We all believe he can do that. “
