Matteo Berrettini Optimistic About Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic’s Dethroning In the Near Future

Italian tennis player and world number 10 Matteo Berrettini is going through a rough patch this year. An abdominal injury during his third-round match against Karen Khachanov at the Australian Open had forced him to withdraw from the event. He hasn’t played any tournaments since except playing doubles at the Sardegna Open earlier this month.

Berrettini is now looking to bounce back to form at the Serbia Open as he was seeded second behind Novak Djokovic. 

Speaking exclusively before the start of the tournament, Berrettini was satisfied to see how the dominance of the Big-3 at various Masters events is being slowly overpowered by his peers Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, and others. At the Serbia Open 2021 media day, Berrettini said, “I think eventually it’s going to happen. Not just because of the age, but because of the experience guys like Medvedev, Thiem, and Zverev are getting.”

Matteo Berrettini is hopeful of an end to the Big-3 dominance

The Italian lauded the effort put by his peers to defeat Big-3 consistently on tour. Berrettini continued, “They proved already that they can play at a high level and now there are more players who got a lot of experience facing pressure situations, especially against the Big-3.”

Berrettini is yet to beat any member of the Big-3 on tour as he only entered the top-10 towards the end of 2019. The Italian has a huge serve and a powerful forehand that he slaps hard, using all his power.

With a few consistent performances down the line, Berrettini has the game to beat the top brass of men’s tennis; he has already defeated players like Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev. 

Berrettini reflects on next-gen players finding Grand Slams hard

If there is one area that the next-gen players consistently fall short in, it is their lack of big-match experience at the Grand Slams. Talking about this, Berrettini said, “I think it’s a nice thing that it’s not all the Big-3. Even though the Slams are still a little bit. But I think something is gonna change even in the Slams.”

On a conclusive note, while the dominance of Big-3 sheds light on the extent of their greatness, encouraging young talents like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, and Matteo Berrettini is vital for the wider reach of the sport.

It is only a matter of a few years till the Big-3 retire, and if their dominance at Grand Slams can be halted by the next-gen players, the sport is assured of a brighter and a popular future. 

Matteo Berrettini will play against Marco Cecchinato in the second round of the Serbia Open on Wednesday after receiving a first-round bye.

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