Matteo Berrettini – Photo Getty Images
Matteo Berrettini, One of the brightest names in Italian tennis is preparing for a highly anticipated and significant return. Berrettini plans to return to action at the ATP 250 in Brisbane, Australia at the end of December. 2023 was a difficult year for the Roman player, marked by injuries and an early exit during the US Open, but now he seems ready to rewrite his history.
Berrettini, who watched the recent Davis Cup final with passion despite not being able to take part, is determined to regain his leadership role. For this reason, he embarked on a new professional path, ending the collaboration with his historic coach Vincenzo Santopadre and starting a new chapter with Francisco Roig, a former tennis player of good level and member of Rafa Nadal’s technical team. This coincidence is all the more significant considering that Nadal will also officially return to Brisbane and, thanks to a wildcard, will move straight into the main draw, where we also find another Italian, Matteo Arnaldi.
Berrettini is fine-tuning his preparations for Australia and is training on the courts of the Circolo della Stampa Sporting training center in Turin, which will also be used during the ATP Finals. After starting his preparation in Monte Carlo, he moved to Turin, where he met his friend and colleague Lorenzo Sonego, in preparation for the United Cup. There is a lot of curiosity as to which version of Berrettini, now 27, will return to action, especially after he wisely decided not to force a return following his latest injury.
Despite the prospect of a steep path and the possible loss of points in the rankings (on January 8th he risks losing 160 points for the 2023 United Cup), Berrettini seems ready to reaffirm his presence in world tennis. His determination and the new technical collaboration with Roig could be the key to an effective relaunch and a return to at least the top 30 of the ATP rankings.
Francesco Paolo Villarico
