Berrettini, confident yes but with reservations: some said they were very worried about the Roman tennis player’s future.
Some dreamed of seeing him alongside his idol Roger Federer, while some would “settle” for one of the two main suspects, namely Patrick Mouratoglou and Ivan Ljubičić. Instead, an unexpected name burst onto the scene, dispelling all the speculation so far by experts and non-experts alike.
It now seems almost certain that Thomas Enqvist could be the one to take the place that Vincenzo Santopadre left vacant. He should be, according to rumors, the new coach of Matteo Berrettini, who after an extremely disappointing season has well thought of resetting everything and starting over. And a coach like the Swede, who has always held the Roman in high esteem, could be the ideal pole star in this new chapter of his career.
What is certain, however, is that changing coaches and revolutionizing the team will not be enough to secure a return to former glory. The problem of the former number 1 of Italy was certainly not Santopadre, to whom he owes, indeed, all his successes. “Without you there would have been Berrettini, but there would not have been The Hammer,” Matteo himself had written, on the day of his farewell, in the post addressed to his mentor, proving how valuable he has been in this long journey full of surprises.
Berrettini, confident with reservations: half-believes it
Berrettini’s black beast is injuries, those same injuries that have tediously and inhibited him to the point of plummeting in the rankings over the past two years. The constant stop-and-go has not been good for his career and this, inevitably, has had repercussions on his ranking as well.
That’s why it will take more than a good coach for the Roman hammer to shine again like he did in that magical 2021. And that’s why there are those who claim to be very worried about him and his future. We are talking about Filippo Volandri, captain of the Italian national team in the Davis Cup, who shared with Vanity Fair his “anxiety” about Matteo’s future.
When the journalist introduced the talk by saying, “We are worried about Berrettini,” the coach’s response was as follows, “So are we. He is trying to change a lot of things, that means he still wants to be serious and wants to rekindle the fire inside him. He needs to give continuity to his tennis, which has always been of the highest level.” Confident but with reservation, in short. And let’s just hope that Santopadre’s former protégé can surprise him and all of us.