Matteo Berrettini did not back down, he wanted to be completely honest: the truth is a blow to the fans.
The fact that he had already won all of their one-on-ones had hinted that Matteo Berrettini would not be the one to come out on top, in New York. Not because he was not potentially capable, but because of that conspicuous calf and knee bandage-which had raised not a few doubts in his Flushing Meadows debut-and because he was not yet entirely comfortable with concrete.
And indeed, as predicted, the pass to enter the third round fell to the host, Taylor Fritz, who put his signature on a performance that was never opaque, convincing throughout. The Roman partially managed to hold his own only in the second set, forcing him to play it out in the tie-break; for the rest, however, it must be admitted that it was a one-sided match. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist knows this well, as he left the court apologizing to the fans and admitting in a press conference later that his U.S. rival had played, objectively, a great match.
The disappointment, needless to say, is there. Especially since things did not go smoothly, indeed. Berrettini had said on the eve of his debut that he would make a revelation at the end of the tournament. And he was true to his word, so much so that right after the match against Fritz, he spilled the beans and told the truth.
What strength Berrettini: on the court despite everything
It was evident, in light of the bandage above, that some physical problem had gotten in the way. Indeed, that was exactly what it was, which in fact prevented him from training as he would have liked before the hour of the Stars and Stripes Slam struck.
“I’m okay now, but I had phlebitis in a vein in my calf. Obviously I didn’t lose because of that, but training poorly ahead of a Slam is never ideal. It was still an important mental test.” Matteo said he was satisfied that he did not “give in” to the pain and still found the energy to take the court, despite not being at the top of his game.
“I didn’t even know what it was,” he added, referring again to the phlebitis in my calf, ”it hardened and I thought it was the muscle. Now it’s getting better, it didn’t bother me as much in the tournament as in the preparation. I would have liked to train more and play more, but it was not possible. I am proud that I was able to play and move beyond the pain and discomfort. Given my history, there is always the fear that it could get worse.”
