Berrettini moves all of Roland Garros with a heartbreaking press conference

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 1 Jun 2026 | 22.03

Matteo Berrettini, emotion at Roland Garros. Photo: gettyimages

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Matteo Berrettini continues to write one of the great stories of Roland Garros 2026. The Italian qualified for the quarterfinals after defeating Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in three sets, confirming the extraordinary moment he is going through after several years marked by injuries, setbacks, and doubts about his future on the circuit.

The victory holds special meaning for a player who once questioned if he would ever compete at the highest level again. After the match, Matteo Berrettini openly discussed the darkest moments of recent years, explained how he has regained confidence in his tennis and his body, and reflected on the importance of accepting both defeats and periods of uncertainty that come with any professional career.

This is what Matteo Berrettini said after reaching the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2026

A very special achievement

"I think the celebration after the match said it all. I was excited, happy, and above all, grateful. It was a very tough match."

"I had to fight a lot, especially in the third set. I was down a break and even lost 6-3 in the tie-break. Being able to win in three sets after such a situation is fantastic. I believe the level of tennis was very high throughout the match, and I am really happy and proud of myself."

When successes feel different

"Yes, this kind of victories feel much better after all I've been through. Now I remember perfectly how sad I felt at certain moments, and that gives everything more value."

"I am not surprised, but once again, I have proven to myself that I can do it. Even in the toughest moments, I found the necessary energy to keep going."

"I was lucky to be surrounded by people who helped me find that energy, those positive thoughts, and those good feelings. It's not easy to find them when going through a dark period, when things aren't going as you want, and it's simply hard to train, hit a few balls, or even compete."

Injuries and the decision to remain true to himself

"We tried to understand for a long time if there was a specific gesture or movement that was causing my physical problems. The reality is, if it had been something particular, it would have appeared constantly in every serve or shot."

"This is an extremely demanding sport both physically and mentally. It is probably one of the toughest there is due to the conditions, the travel, the training hours, the matches, and everything that comes with competing for so many months in a year."

"I concluded that my body is wearing down, as it is normal. There are players who have a smoother way of playing. I have a very aggressive and powerful way. I accepted it because that is my identity as a player."

"The key was to regain the confidence to hit every ball at one hundred percent. That is what has always made me successful. My tennis is based on hitting hard, putting a lot of weight on the ball, and fully trusting my serve and my forehand. When I manage to play that way, that's when I feel like I did today."

The importance of defeats and moments of doubt

"I believe we often forget how this sport really works. We are used to seeing results and judging everything very quickly."

"Besides very specific exceptions, all players need to lose. They need to go through difficult moments, suffer painful defeats, and feel bad in order to then find a reaction."

"The losses in Madrid and Rome hurt me because I didn't feel good on the court. But they are also part of the journey. What I would like to see more often is a bit more balance in the analyses. Sometimes you achieve a great result and seem like a phenomenon; you lose early in the next tournament and it seems like you're no longer worth anything."

"Tennis constantly shows that rankings are built over an entire year, not in a single week. I also had doubts during the past few months, but precisely those doubts helped me react and find the right energy. The important thing is to accept that progress is not always a straight line upward."

What he truly came to doubt

"I never doubted my serve, my forehand, my backhand, or my overall tennis. If I ever doubted those aspects, it was because there was a much deeper doubt related to my physical condition."

"What I really questioned was my ability to compete with this mental intensity, with this level of concentration, and with this energy expenditure for so long. That did worry me as I was coming from a complicated period."

"Thanks to the people who were by my side, who kept telling me that I was made to compete at this level and that I just needed to find the right balance again, I was able to move forward. This tournament, regardless of what happens in the next matches, once again proves to me that I am still a great tennis player."

How he disconnects when dark moments arise

"Something interesting happened to me in Valencia. One afternoon, I went for a walk alone in the city, but not through the tourist areas. I simply walked through the normal streets, observing people leading lives completely different from mine."

"I saw people leaving work, families with their children, people going about their daily lives. I'm not sure why, but that relaxed me a lot."

"It helped me understand that the world keeps functioning regardless of whether I win or lose a tennis match. That relieved some pressure and allowed me to put many things into perspective."

"It also reminded me of the break I had last summer. During that time, I realized that the circuit was moving forward without me, that no one was dying because I wasn't competing. That sensation helped me relieve some of the pressure I constantly put on myself."

"I spend quite a bit of time alone. Some close people even say too much. But I like it. Those are moments that help me reconnect with myself and restore balance."

The experience that only comes with years

"When I lost the third set, I was already mentally prepared to go out and win the fourth. This has happened to me many times throughout my career."

"I knew I had to keep doing exactly the same things that had allowed me to take the lead in the score. I felt that once we entered rallies, I was superior, and that gave me a lot of confidence."

"I mentally went through all the times I had been in similar situations. I remembered matches where you were close to winning and suddenly had to start over from scratch."

"That experience teaches you to keep doing the right things without panicking. Probably a younger player, going through these situations for the first time, doesn't have that capacity yet because they need to go through them and learn, just like I did."

Matteo Berrettini is feeling competitive again on the big stages, and each victory seems to reinforce a conviction that for a long time was in doubt. After years marked by physical problems and periods of frustration, the Italian has regained the confidence to play with the aggression that has always defined his tennis. His presence in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2026 is much more than a result: it is confirmation that he has managed to rediscover himself on a court.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Berrettini emociona a todo Roland Garros con una desgarradora rueda de prensa

Matteo Berrettini