Matteo Berrettini is diligently working to recapture his peak form. The days when he was a top-five ATP player and a Wimbledon finalist (2021) seem distant, but the Roman athlete is motivated and currently injury-free.
Berrettini’s career has been plagued by physical fragility, hindering his performance and forcing him to miss numerous tournaments. The past two seasons were particularly challenging, causing him to drop significantly in the ATP rankings.
However, Berrettini showed promising signs of resurgence in 2024, winning three titles and playing a crucial role in Italy’s consecutive Davis Cup Finals victory in Malaga, alongside Jannik Sinner.
His early 2025 performances were mixed, but his victory over Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Doha tournament marked a turning point. Berrettini’s strong showing in Qatar was only halted by Jack Draper in the quarterfinals.1
Berrettini’s positive form continued in Dubai, where he again reached the quarterfinals, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a hard-fought three-set match.
During a recent press conference in Dubai, the former world number six expressed his frustration with the constant changes in tennis balls on the ATP tour. “I feel like the balls are getting slower and slower all the time,” Berrettini said. “But at the same time what’s most important for us, I think, is consistency. We have to try with the same ball, at least on the same surface. We play on clay, we play with the same ball and the quality of the ball is really important, so for our injuries, and I know a lot about that, it’s really important. I personally like a lot the Dunlop balls, I think they’re the best. But again, everybody has different opinions.”
