“Jannik Sinner did a miracle. I will also use this energy for my tennis,” Matteo Berrettini said of his compatriot, Jannik Sinner’s, referring to latter’s historical US Open victory. In the tennis court, they have showcased their tennis rivalry twice, with Sinner leading the headcount. But off the court, they have developed a “good relationship,” with both ‘dreaming’ alike. However, the 28-year-old Italian, inspired by Sinner’s remarkable presence in the sport, desires to “steal” one thing from him!

“This title for me means so much because the last period of my career was not really easy,” said Jannik Sinner after his maiden victory in New York, referring to a stressful battle in the trail of his doping case. After his maiden grand slam victory in Australia, followed by a win in Rotterdam, the 23-year-old had to endure a rough patch in his career, owing to his two positive test results for Clostebol, a banned performance-enhancing drug, during his Indian Wells campaign. Sinner did not give up but went on with his silent battle off the court while maintaining his consistent dominance in tennis, reaching SFs or QFs of various tournaments. Moreover, a world No. 1 spot along with earning six titles throughout the season seemed to be a piece of cake for him. 

He received backlash for skipping his Olympic debut and with the news of his successful doping case trial coming to light. But Sinner kept his head high throughout it all and focused on his game ahead of the US Open. Referring to Jannik Sinner’s commitment to excellence and dedication, Matteo Berrettini couldn’t help but shower praise on him during his press-conference ahead of his nation’s debut in the Davis Cup and said to We Love Tennis. “There are many things I would like to steal from Jannik’s game. But one of them, above all, is the dedication to work, more precisely his ability to always want to improve.”

Furthermore, Berrettini, who lost against Sinner at 2024 Wimbledon, further added, “He reached the elite of tennis very young and never wanted to stop, and if you hear him talk, he always looks to the future, it is a quality that the greats have. This concentration is somehow innate and you work on it a little, so I try to do the same, to continue to surpass myself, to seek goals, to feel important stimuli. We are not only talking about rankings or tournaments, but about the joy of improving.”

A few days ago, the 2021 Wimbledon championships finalist sided with Sinner during his doping controversy, sharing how “impressively” Sinner dealt with everything and emphasizing that the doping was a “mistake.” Besides, earlier this year, Berrettini also revealed the secret of Jannik Sinner’s success in the tennis world.

Berrettini on Jannik Sinner’s “secret” to success!

When Berrettini first met Jannik Sinner, the latter was only 14 years old. However, during that time, Berrettini understood the huge potential that Sinner has while he played with him in the Monte Carlo in 2019, calling his experience of playing against him to be “something special.” He further appreciated Sinner’s quick pace of learning tennis skills, along with his respectable “attitude.”

Further adding, Berrettini said, “It was just a learning process all the time. And he is still doing that. I think that’s why he went up so quickly, in a way. I think his secret is that he is really hungry for improvement. That’s his secret. And the humbleness that he has about it. Yeah, just special.” Jannik Sinner has often reciprocated Berrettini’s appreciation for him.

And especially when the former World No. 6 supported him during his doping saga, the World No. 1 admitted that he is “very happy with what Matteo said,” and the fact that they both respect each other a lot. While they keep supporting each other, hopefully, we will find more glimpses of their beautiful friendship in the future!