Wimbledon: Matteo Berrettini Keeps Dreaming but Admits to an Old Regret

Matteo Berrettini’s run at Wimbledon continues. After defeating the veteran Stan Wawrinka, he overcame a potentially very tough opponent in the second round: world No. 24 Arthur Fils. The final score was 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in favor of the Roman, who did well to maintain his confidence and focus after a rough patch in the third set on Center Court.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Berrettini said after the match. “The first-round match against Stan was incredibly tough—a match I’ll remember for the rest of my life—but this one was special too, against a strong opponent on Center Court. It had been a while since I last played here; I’m proud of myself and my team.”

“I played a high-level match,” he added. “Arthur played very well, especially from the baseline and on his serve: I knew I’d have to give it my all to win. I had some trouble in the third set, but in the fourth I found my energy again: I served better and was more aggressive. These matches have given me confidence; I played many of them in Paris as well: it had been a while since I’d played so many matches at the Grand Slam level.”

Finally, Berrettini revisited an old regret related to Wimbledon: the positive COVID-19 test that prevented him from participating in the 2022 tournament, after reaching the final the previous year: “Four years ago, right here, I made one of the worst decisions of my life,” he admitted, referring to the non-mandatory test that effectively led to his early withdrawal. “That’s why it’s a great honor and a privilege to be back playing matches at this level in front of this crowd.”