If the rain disturbed the first week of Wimbledon, there is one that it did not disturb at all. Finalist in 2021, Matteo Berrettini arrives this year under the radar in the direction of the Center Court which he will find this Monday in the round of 16, a first since his final two years ago. Opposed to Novak Djokovic for his first grand slam final, this time it is the Spaniard and world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz who will be on the other side of the net. “Playing against Carlos has always been like a pleasure, a fight, a great fight. I remember playing in Australia against him for five sets. Three sets in Vienna and Rio” he slipped after his last match won against Zverev. In difficulty since this defeat which offered a 20th Grand Slam title to Djokovic, the Roman is struggling to return to the level he knew. Add to that a split a year ago with Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and COVID, Berrettini hasn’t had a great time lately.
Defeated in the first round of the Australian Open by Andy Murray in January, he was the author of a very average American tour on hard before sinking to earth. Abandonment in the sixteenth final of Monte-Carlo against Rune and the hope of playing Roland-Garros flew away. The Transalpin then had a complicated start to the year 2023 and nothing or almost nothing seemed to smile on him. Especially since his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego pulled the rug out from under him for his return to the grass by sweeping him in the first round of the Stuttgart tournament (6-1, 6-2).
His reunion with “Wim” seems to give him a new impetus. The Italian seems liberated in his game and especially in service. After a week and three rounds passed with flying colors, the 27-year-old still hasn’t lost a service game. All against Lorenzo Sonego (6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3), Alex De Minaur (6-3, 6-4, 6-4) then recently against Alexander Zverev (6-3 , 7-6, 7-6).
What to arrive in the second week with full confidence, something he had not known for a long time “As I said on the court, if I had been told a few weeks ago that I was going to play five days in a row at Wimbledon, I would have signed with my blood. I really spent days in bed thinking about the tournaments I missed, the injuries I had, the sadness I felt,” he said after his third-round victory over the German. .
It will be necessary for Alcaraz, still in the process of learning on the grass, to be wary of the water which sleeps but especially of a player who has performed on the grass. The Italian expects a big fight, without being destabilized more than that. “I have a very tough game, probably one of the toughest in the draw, on Monday. Now let’s think about that. Later, let’s see”. Berrettini has thanks to his mastery of the surface reached 6th place in the world in 2021, although he is only 38th today. The experience he has, the qualities too, make way for the show.
