Berrettini maintains hope: "My tennis is there, I just need a little more consistency"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 21 Nov 2025 | 19.24

Berrettini maintains hope: "My tennis is there, I just need a little more consistency." Photo: Gettyimages

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Matteo Berrettini, always at the service of Italy. The tennis player from Rome has dealt with a very complicated year due to constant injuries that have prevented him from showcasing the great tennis he has in his repertoire. However, as it happened last year, as the Davis Cup finals approach, he manages to display his best game for the benefit of his country.

It was evident in the first point of the Davis Cup semifinals between Italy and Belgium, where the Roman gave no chances to Raphael Collignon (6-3, 6-4) and secured the first point for the neighboring country, which is one victory away either in the singles of Flavio Cobolli against Zizou Bergs or in the decisive doubles to repeat the final. And Matteo Berrettini spoke about the level he always shows when he wears the colors of the 'azzurra'.

Displeased with how the second set complicated

"Honestly, I think the public is an important factor because we are playing in Italy. It's the Davis Cup, but I don't think I won because of that. I believe that in the end, I played bad tennis. I should have won the second set much earlier. It's hard to say 'should have,' but I was a set and a break up, and could have gotten a double break. I was playing really well."

"I could have done a little more on the first break point. But that's tennis. I accepted it. He started to play better. The balls got a bit bigger. It was harder to win a point from the service and the baseline. I think he got very motivated because it was the Davis Cup. The crowd also helped him. I think that's the beauty of the Davis Cup. Honestly, I would say I played a very good match."

About the beginning of his relationship with Flavio Cobolli

"When I was 14 years old, I went to a tennis club in Rome called Aniane. I started working with his father and with Vincenzo, who obviously became my coach for a long time. At that time, Flavio was eight years old. That's where we met. I remember him and his younger brother, Guglielmo. Vincenzo and Stefano used to organize some small tournaments, weekend tournaments, where we played best of three sets, but up to four games. I played many of them in Rome."

"These two kids were always there playing tennis, enjoying the day. We also played with them, acting as a bit of babysitters. It's crazy that we are on the same team now. I look at him now, and he's a man, which means I'm even older, but it's still a nice feeling. I'm very excited thinking about this relationship over the years."

The origin of his great sliced backhand

"When I was 17 years old, I injured my left wrist. It got very inflamed. I could play with my right hand. Vincenzo said, 'Let's take this opportunity to improve something we haven't worked on. Let's improve your sliced backhand.' Since then, it became a very powerful weapon, firstly because initially I didn't feel secure with my left wrist and secondly because I felt that in today's tennis, it's very important to vary, especially on a court like this. I think I do it very well now."

"So, it's something that if you play with spin or with the forehand shot, you hit a slice, you hit flat. The opponent doesn't know what you're going to do. You can go down the line, short, long. I feel it has been quite successful. I also acknowledge that when I abuse it, when I use it too much, I start running a bit more. I don't like running, so I prefer playing with two hands."

Matteo Berrettini is happy and hopeful about his current tennis level

"Right now, I feel very confident. I was training really well. When I came back and didn't play for a month and a half, I started training with the best players on the circuit. I felt like I had never stopped. I think my tennis is there. It has always been there. Tennis is so beautiful. The beauty is that it's a mix of factors. It's a mix of confidence, physical condition, mental condition, overall conditions in the tournament."

"It's no secret that I always struggle a bit more towards the end of the indoor season. I like playing more on clay. I like playing a bit more on grass. This year I completely skipped that part. I think my tennis is there. I proved it to myself this year when I played against Draper, when I played against Djokovic, when I played against Zverev, de Minaur, Fritz. It were really good matches. I think my tennis is there; I just need a bit more consistency. I never stopped believing in my level, honestly," says Matteo Berrettini who could achieve his third consecutive Davis Cup and allow him to end a year with many ups and downs on a high note.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Berrettini mantiene la esperanza: "Mi tenis está ahí, solo necesito un poco más de consistencia"