Matteo Berrettini reveals a backstory on the most difficult moment

An elated Matteo Berrettini told, at the microphones of ‘Sky Sport’, how he managed to defeat Alexander Zverev in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, regaining a set disadvantage and ending the match in his favor after two and a half hours of very intense play on the red earth of the Principality.

“I felt heavy legs, especially at the end – admitted the Roman, whose success allows among other things Jannik Sinner to keep the top of the ATP rankings until the tournament in Rome -. But I told myself that I couldn’t have wanted better out of life, that moments like that are what you train for, the ones I had missed when I was away from the circuit and struggling with physical problems. Okay, fatigue will set in, but I am happy”.

After taking the match to the third set, Berrettini seemed well on his way to ultimate success, except he lost a game on his own serve and found himself down 5-5. That, as he himself admits, was the most difficult moment: “I felt my legs petrified – he revealed – but I told myself I could not give up -. I stayed on the court with the spirit of sweats in the gym, when I longed to return to play on such a stage”.

“It seemed like tennis from another time but sometimes you need that too, especially on clay” then concluded Berrettini, who by reaching the third round equaled his best result in Monte Carlo, achieved in the 2023 season. The goal is to do even better, to further demonstrate not only his ability in general, but also his growth on clay.