Nothing new for Matteo Berrettini, everything has happened before: perfect photocopy, unbelievable but true.
Fate had been against him, during the Wimbledon draw ceremony. Matteo Berrettini had already run into Jannik Sinner in the second round, and despite a flawless performance, it was not his turn to peel off the pass for the next round of the British Slam. The regret is just that, that his run came to a halt far ahead of time, although the Roman deserved to go much farther and actually play for the title.
We were hoping for this other chance, but to tell the truth, the Us Open draw was not too benevolent to him either. Barring a first round potentially within his grasp, as early as the second Berrettini will be called upon to put up big numbers if he is to advance in the star-studded major. Should he, as we hope, beat left-handed Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his Flushing Meadows debut, one of the most insidious main draw seeds could be waiting for him.
A Boss challenge, if you will, considering that Taylor Fritz, his hypothetical opponent, is also a testimonial for the German brand that dresses Matteo from head to toe. Challenging, certainly, but not impossible, especially if, as coach Francisco Roig certainly hopes, Berrettini will be able to put the work done together on the left side of the court to good use.
Berrettini, the road is all uphill but nothing is impossible
Wanting to look further, in the third round, unless reality twists every prediction, chances are high that he will meet then Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Hypothetical round of 16, again, against Casper Ruud, whom the Italian knows very well, having already met him 7 times. It would be a battle by no means a foregone conclusion, considering that Matteo has still won 3 of these challenges against the Norwegian.
The quarterfinals, on paper, would also potentially be very tough. Berrettini could run into one of Alexander Zverev or Holger Rune – who knocked him out in the first round in Cincinnati – and, should he advance, would find before him an opponent he hasn’t faced in 3 years. A déjà-vu in full swing, considering that on the other side of the net there would be, barring upheaval, Novak Djokovic, against whom Matteo last played in New York itself, shortly after the magical Wimbledon final.
And since dreaming is free, in a possible final act the Roman could duel against one between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Given that, at the end of the day, all we need is for him to prove that The Hammer is definitely back and that it matters little whether he plays on grass rather than concrete, because a hammer is a hammer everywhere.