Matteo Berrettini ITA, 04/12/1996 – Photo Getty Images
A hot summer afternoon, the famous journalist, writer, director and politician Walter Veltroni has the opportunity for an interview Matthew Berretinione of the most famous Italian tennis players, for which Corriere della Sera. An intimate and insightful conversation that takes place between childhood memories, reflections on life and tennis and personal confessions.
Berrettini recalls his childhood room being filled with posters of Pulp Fiction, Mad Max, Fight Club and Nolan’s Batman trilogy. She talks affectionately about her relationship with her brother and her love for Legos. “I isolated myself in the world of these stones, it felt like I was in my own bubble,” he admits. The order that only a child could give to this chaos represented a mirror of life for him: “Thanks to the brain, the fragment became a whole.”
His journey into the world of tennis began at the age of three with his first racquet, followed by a brief transition into martial arts and then returned to tennis at the age of eight, from which he will never be separated. Berrettini describes tennis not only as a sport, but as a philosophy of life. “I have no secrets on the tennis court, I know and recognize every single emotion, every gesture, every fragility and every power. Tennis is a merciless mirror, it looks inside you. And I understood one fundamental thing: to excel in this sport, you first have to know yourself.”he claims.
When it comes to defeat, Berrettini is deeply philosophical. “Tennis teaches you how to lose,” he says. “Even the best, even in the best of seasons, have to drink the cup of defeat. I hate losing, but I’ve always used losing to improve. For me it is a bigger motor than victory.”
In his view, character and attitude are malleable. Berrettini describes himself as instinctive and wild at a young age, while now he tries to control and correct his reactions: “Experience has taught me to understand the nature of the moments I live and to look for the right mental attitude to search.”
The attitude of never giving up, even in difficult situations, is a form of self-respect for him. “The renunciation of the fight, the negative inertia is the only defeat I can’t take, I can’t forgive myself for it. I never want to give up,” he proclaims.
Berrettini has been struggling with a number of injuries lately that have not only impacted his career but also his morale. “Because I couldn’t keep up with important appointments, I realized they were bad moments that I didn’t enjoy. But they were fundamental to rediscovering the reasons for enjoying what I started as a child and which has occupied my entire life.”
Have you ever felt alone in those difficult moments? “I’ve never felt alone because I’m surrounded by so many people who love me, but I’m disoriented, yes,” Berrettini replies.
And have you ever thought about saying enough? “Believe me often… But over time, through comparisons with the others, I realized that I’m only happy when I go out on the pitch and breathe that atmosphere. And I’m unhappy if I don’t. It’s a great phrase that I chose for myself. And that still gives me great pleasure today.”
Berrettini also reveals his particular pre-serve routine, choosing balls provided by the ball boys for their “freshness”. He considers fear a “fundamental driver” for a tennis player and recounts his friendship with fellow tennis player Lorenzo Sonego.
At the end of the interview, Berrettini expresses his goals: “On a sporting level, Wimbledon is close to my heart. And also the international matches in Rome. But now that I’m experiencing discomfort for the first time, the goal is to stop experiencing it frequently, to keep it away. And to experience tennis for what it is: joy and the challenge to improve.”
Frederick DiMiele
