After his defeat in Cincinnati at the hands of Rune, Berrettini takes a step back: here’s why fans are worried.
Expectations, as easily guessed, were sky-high. Matteo Berrettini had just won 2 tournaments in a row and was so gassed that it was fair to expect a great performance on concrete as well. The fact that he lost in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 does not mean that he played poorly, on the contrary. He was brilliant and robust in the first set, he just wasn’t able to maintain that pace and was overwhelmed at one point by Holger Rune.
In changing surfaces, after all, a few minor falterings are in order, especially for a tennis player who, like him, has spent so much time in the pits due to a wide variety of injuries. He will have time to make up for it, the Roman champion, who at this point in the season just wanted to accumulate as many points as possible in order to be seeded at the Us Open. And avoid, as happened at Wimbledon, running into the strongest on the circuit from the early rounds.
It will be difficult, at this point, for that to happen, all the more so now that Berrettini has announced an unexpected about-face. News that has worried fans but behind which, it should be emphasized, no problem is hidden. Only, maybe that yes, a hint of very understandable disappointment.
Berrettini in the balance: still doesn’t know
As Il Tennis Italiano reports, Matteo’s schedule could undergo some changes between now and then. The current world number 42 was supposed to take part in the Winston-Salem tournament, but it is possible, instead, that he may decide to skip the North Carolina event.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played on concrete, there’s a need to adapt – these were the words of the Wimbledon 2021 finalist when asked about the events of August – It’s been a very busy summer, so many matches. I haven’t made a decision yet about participating in Winston-Salem, I have to talk about it with the team. Obviously I’m sorry for the defeat but that doesn’t take away from the last few positive months.”
And he is absolutely right when he says that the defeat in Cincinnati does not erase what good he has done in recent weeks. Matthew has won 21 sets in a row and even stole the “continuity” record from Jannik Sinner, who led this ranking. Everything can be said, in short, except that, Rune or no Rune, his summer has not been stratospheric.
