Matteo Berrettini speaks plainly about Jannik Sinner: “It’s really too much”

Matteo Berrettini arrives in New York with a different mindset than in the past. He is more self-aware, more at peace, and, above all, focused on achieving personal balance. His hunger for competition, however, remains undiminished. On the eve of the 2026 U.S. Open, the former world No. 6 shared with SuperTennis the philosophy that now guides his professional journey, prioritizing well-being and fostering a positive environment around him: “I’ve realized that I need to feel good, to create an environment that makes me feel good with my team and with the people around me. Thanks to that, I can then step onto the court and handle certain challenges, facing them head-on.”

His relationship with the city, however, is also marked by mixed emotions: “This city has given me so much joy, but unfortunately also some disappointments—one major one. This is a Grand Slam; it’s clearly a more important tournament than the others, but I know that if things don’t go well, there will be another one. I’d like New York to be a city from which I draw energy,” Berrettini said. These words reflect a maturity different from the past. The U.S. Open remains a special event, but it no longer represents a definitive judgment on the value of a season or a career.

During the interview, Berrettini also dedicated a thought to Jannik Sinner, who was forced to miss a Grand Slam for the first time due to an injury to his right knee. The world No. 1’s withdrawal has also brought the issue of the intensity of modern tennis—which is increasingly demanding both physically and mentally—back into the spotlight: “It’s part of our journey; it’s part of the life we lead, of the intensity of this sport, which has truly become almost too much.”

This reflection is also closely tied to his own experience. The Roman knows well the price to pay when constantly trying to push beyond one’s limits, and today he seems to have learned to recognize those warning signs that he might have ignored in the past: “I push myself to the limit every week, even if it sounds absurd to say so. Sometimes I tell my team that it would be really interesting to have a hidden camera somewhere and show others what’s going on.”