Matteo Berrettini aims Grand Slam, Rome Masters title in 2021
Top-ranked Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini has set high goals for the upcoming season as he has revealed that he would like to either win a maiden Grand Slam title or make it all the way in front of his home fans at the Rome Masters.
Berrettini, ranked at No. 10 in the world, achieved his best result at the Grand Slam level in 2019, when he made the semifinal before losing to 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
This past season, Berrettini didn't enjoy much success on the Grand Slam level as he made the second round at the Australian Open, round-of-16 at the US Open and the third round at the French Open, respectively.
When it comes to Rome, the 24-year-old Italian achieved his best result at the tournament this year, when he made the quarterfinal.
"It's always a great question because if you asked me the same time last year, I would have probably said, like, doing semifinals in a Slam, because I was dreaming. It would be lifting a big trophy, like a Slam or maybe Rome, it's my city. When I'm playing on the centre court, half of the people that are there, I know them. It's a good and crazy tournaments, for Italians, especially for me, I'm from Rome. But yeah, lifting a big trophy, it's gonna be my goal," Berrettini told Alize Lim on "Tennis Majors," when asked about his goals for the next season.
Berrettini had a promising run in Rome this yearBerrettini made his maiden Rome quarterfinal this year, before top-ranked Norwegian tennis player edged him out 4-6 6-3 7-6 (5) in a tight clash.
"I'd rather have played on Centrale rather than Pietrangeli, the surface isn't quite as good. But, honestly, we'd be having a totally different conversation if the forehand had stayed in at 5-3," Berrettini told Gazzetta dello Sport after his loss to Casper Ruud.
Berrettini was 5-3 up in the third-set tie-break, before Ruud won four points in a row to beat the home favorite and disappoint the Italian crowd.
"When I won the first set, I started feeling comfortable, less adrenalised. Fans behind me here would have helped for sure. I can't say I would have won, but they would have pumped me more up. Casper knows how to hurt, but I relaxed. I played 3 matches here at a high level," Berrettini said at the time.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2JLYodE
No comments