Berrettini: "I was sure that Sinner would become the strongest of all"

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It's time for Davis Cup and Italy is ready to defend the title they won against Australia last year. Back then, Jannik Sinner led a stellar squad alongside Lorenzo Musetti, but neither of them will be present in this knockout phase. Both chose to rest after a summer full of commitments, with Jannik winning the US Open just two days ago. However, the Italians will have Matteo Berrettini available, who couldn't participate in the finals in Malaga due to injury. Matteo was there to support his team, but this time he will join Matteo Arnaldi, Flavio Cobolli, Andrea Vavassori, and Simone Bolelli on the team.

"Last year, I experienced it a bit from the outside. I worked very hard to be available again," Berrettini said to Sky Sports before his team's debut in the Davis Cup group stage against Brazil. "We have the deepest team, so the captain's choice is very complex, but I hope and believe I have earned it. The goal is to defend the title, taking it one match at a time. The Davis Cup is a special competition," added the Italian, knowing that playing at home in Bologna will help them face the knockout with great motivation.

Proud of the great squad of young Italians

"A few years ago, they would have said to us, 'you're crazy, it's impossible.' The leader of this movement is Jannik, who has just won another Slam. He is the world number one, I don't know how many thousands of points ahead of the second. In July, they asked me, who will win the US Open? I answered Jannik because objectively, when he enters a tournament, he is the favorite. It's impressive; we try to follow him, do our best. Being here with all the young players, from Musetti to Cobolli, whom I've seen almost since they were born, is very nice and exciting. Thanks to them, I am here again; what I experienced last year gave me a lot of energy to come back."

Do you feel like favorites after the 2023 title?

"Feeling like a favorite, I don't know, it's complex. It's a very long competition; many things can happen, and many players can change. Jannik and Lorenzo are having two very special seasons, especially Jannik. It's hard to say now that we are one of the favorite teams, especially with this format. Let's not forget that last year we started by losing 3-0 to Canada, and then we won. We have to play calmly, with the group, and with the strength of our tennis, we can go all the way."

About his match against Sinner in the second round of Wimbledon

"It was special for a million reasons. It showed me that my level belongs to the elite of the sport, and then the result spoke for itself. There, I felt that I had returned to that level, something I had been questioning during the tough months. It's no coincidence that after that match, I managed to win two tournaments, which gave me a great boost. Seeing Jannik so high is surprising, but not so much because when you play with a strong player, with those characteristics, you know he will reach the top; his path has always been clear, even when people said it wouldn't be so, I was sure he would become the strongest of all."

Something he would like to learn from Jannik

"There are many things I would steal from Jannik. One of all is the dedication to work, the ability to always want to improve. He reached the tennis elite very young and never wanted to stop, and if you hear him talk, he is always looking to the future; that is a quality that great players have. That kind of focus is somewhat innate and worked on a bit; so I try to do the same, keep striving, keep looking for goals, feel important stimuli. We're not just talking about ranking or tournaments, but about the joy of surpassing ourselves."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Berrettini: "Estaba seguro de que Sinner llegaría a ser el más fuerte de todos"