Berrettini turns over a new leaf, the best is yet to come.
He will play at Melbourne Park for the eighth time since he debuted on the major circuit. Which makes him a veteran, an expert on that blue cement that has seen him, moreover, shine with dazzling light. Three years ago this time, after all, he had played so well, in Australia, that he won none other than the Australian Open semifinals.
The rest, unfortunately, is history. That was one of the high points of Matteo Berrettini’s career, which we know was then hampered by the countless injuries he was forced to deal with. It will be difficult to repeat a success like the one he achieved in 2022, but not because the Roman is not potentially capable of it, mind you. What he still lacks is continuity, which has faltered due, precisely, to the numerous starts & stops that have punctuated Matteo’s last 2 years.
He must play and he must do so assiduously, without more interruptions, without allowing himself to be held back by the fear that something might go wrong. He will try to find new blood, therefore, precisely in the land of kangaroos, where he will make his debut in the coming days. The hope was to participate there as the top seed, but the plans he had in store for this first phase of the season have blown up.
What a lion Berrettini: the past is already behind him
The Wimbledon 2021 finalist lost, as you may recall, in the first round of the Atp 250 in Brisbane, where he could have grinded out some useful points towards the useful seeding for the first Major.
The defeat he suffered from Thompson prevented him from placing among the 32 seeded players at the Slam, yet Berrettini seems to have already forgotten what happened. Which is good, no doubt. “The first goal is to enjoy a season full of matches and joy without injuries or complications,” he told the Herald Sun. ”As for my level, I think I can do really well, I feel I can go all the way and I will do my best.
Not a bit discouraged, in short, the former world No. 6, who still seems determined to do well and confident, above all, in his means. Awareness that he lacked in some highlights and that had effectively thrown him out of the world’s top 100. Until, finally, the will to play and to win came back. And who knows, maybe the Slam could be the right opportunity to show everyone how much he can still be worth.