?Momentum Was shifting..but They Stopped the Match? – Matteo Berrettini Recalls His ?Tough? Novak Djokovic Battle as He Discloses the Major Turning Point

The 27YO Italian professional tennis player, Matteo Berrettini faced a dilemma in Malaga when a reporter asked him to make a ‘tough’ choice. He was recently caught up in an interview while he was on a trip to cheer for his nation at the Davis Cup. Berrettini has previously played against Rafael Nadal twice and has faced Novak Djokovic 4 times in his career so far. But unfortunately for the Italian, he couldn’t win a single match out of those 6 encounters. However, when asked to pick the toughest among those encounters, here’s what he said.

A year ago he featured in the top 10, but now he is battling with injuries to get back on court. He had a tough season in 2023 and had last appeared at the US Open earlier this year. Even in the US Open, he couldn’t finish the match as he had to give a walk over to Arthur Rinderknech (France) after just two sets. However, gone are the days of sorrows. Now Berrettini wants to recall his glorious days from the past and look forward to the next season.

Matteo Berrettini recalls the moment when he came the closest to creating a historic win against Novak Djokovic

The Italian has so far managed to put 7 ATP Tour singles titles and 2 doubles titles in his bag. His best performance came in the Wimbledon,2021 where he had lost to Djokovic in the finals of a four-set thriller.

However, while recalling his toughest encounters against the best in the business in 8 years of his becoming a pro, he recalled the French Open in 2021. He came really closer to creating history against the current world number one two years ago. Here’s what he said when asked to pick one of the challenging encounters in his career so far.

‘I don’t know.?I think they’re different players, so it’s really tough to say, you know, what’s toughest. I have to say that in Paris was the one match that I felt, like, was the closest one that I played. I lost all of them against them, but in Paris I felt like the momentum was shifting a little bit. And then, I don’t know if you remember, but they stopped the match and we were like 25 minutes in the locker room. You know, I kind of lost a little bit the rhythm, and obviously he was playing really good. But overall, that was the match that I felt like, closer to Novak. So I think — I don’t know. You pick (smiling). It’s really tough,‘ Matteo Berrettini.

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Unfortunately for the Italian just when he had started to gain some momentum against Djokovic the match got stopped due to rain. Then Novak Djokovic did what he does best. He utilized the opportunity to the fullest and came back after the break to defeat Berrettini in four sets. Can he get a good start next season and gain some momentum for the rest of the year?

Berrettini eyes a comeback at the Australian Open next season

Currently, the Italian is nursing a ruptured ankle ligament and holds the 90th position in the recent ATP rankings. Injuries have been a major hindrance to this promising lad in his career so far. He has missed quite a few chances of breaking through to the bigger stages of the game. Now, he’s in Malaga as a non-playing supporter, cheering for his national team at the Davis Cup.

The 27YO is now hoping to be back in time before the season kickoffs at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open is scheduled to start from January 14. He is now quite confident and believes he has enough time on his hands for his recovery. Can he make a comeback to the top 10 in the near future? What do you think?

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