Adriano Panatta: Matteo Berrettini is a Very Strong Player e is Very Talented'

Former French Open champion Adriano Panatta, the only player ever to defeat Björn Borg at Roland Garros, doing so twice, speaks about Italian tennis and his new club project in an interview to Il Gazzettino.

Pannatta says that Italian star Fabio Fognini would have been able to do much better if he were able to control his temperament and that Matteo Berrettini is a very talented player. "Fabio has an excellent game. He has always lacked a little in the service department and also the right mental strength, two connected things. When you are in difficulty, it is easier to get ahead if you have powerful service. He is a player who has great potential, but who due to his difficult character has not yet managed to consolidate a very high position in the world rankings. As for Berrettini, for a year now he has become a very strong player and is very talented. We just have to give him time. " Pannatta acknowledged some of the players from the recent years who have brought great recognition to Italian tennis. "The cycle of great successes that started with Errani, Pennetta and Vinci and has been an extraordinary chapter for the Italian tennis movement. Among the men, we cannot ignore the names of Paolo Canè, Omar Camporese, Renzo Furlan, Cristiano Caratti and Andrea Gaudenzi, all athletes who played in the top twenty in the world."

Pannatta turns 70 in July and says he is also working on a club project. "I have been living in Treviso for a few years and a few months ago I bought the former Zambon tennis court in Treviso at an historic club. I am carrying out all the bureaucratic obligations for the restructuring and to relaunch it. It is a very large area, where there will be eight tennis courts and seven paddle courts, a gym and a fitness area. We consider it a very ambitious project, because it will become a preparatory center for starting tennis. The works, if there are no hitches, will hopefully end by March 2021."  

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3c0Jc6k