Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner played a brilliant second-round match on Wednesday evening at Wimbledon, fighting it out on Centre Court until a half hour before curfew would have stopped play.
The world No 1 came away victorious in four sets, 7-6,(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4) but Berrettini gave an excellent account of himself considering he’s not long back from injury and ranked No 59.
Following the defeat, Berrettini shared that he was surprised by how high his compatriot’s level was.
“I expected a really solid player that was playing good, but I think he surprised me,” the Italian confessed. “I think he missed three balls in the whole match. It didn’t give me that oxygen that sometimes you need.”
Berrettini says Sinner improving every day
Considering they are Davis Cup teammates and regularly practice together, Sinner and Berrettini are familiar with each other’s games. However, the 28-year-old was still impressed by how much Sinner has grown since they last played.
“I think he is improving every day,” he declared. “His skills are getting — he always returned really well. He always ran really well, but his touch and his ability to read the moments and to play — not just read them like this, but with some spin, some slice.”
“They’re doing a great job,” said Berrettini of his fellow countryman’s team. “That’s one of the reasons why he is No 1 right now.”
Of his own game, the Italian is pleased with how he’s progressing, despite the disappointment of failing to overcome Sinner at Wimbledon.
“I think I played a great match against the No 1 in the world, and I had many chances,” Berrettini reflected.
“What I have to take from this match is that the level is there, which is something that I also always believed, but until you really prove yourself, it’s tough to feel it.
“I’m happy that today when I was walking on court, I thought about the match. And during the match I thought about the match, not about injuries, not about my body, not about these things.”
Next up, Sinner will face Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round, with the Serbian upsetting No 27 seed Tallon Griekspoor in their clash on Wednesday.
