When Matteo Berrettini missed what should have been a simple backhand on match point against Andy Murray in the first round of the Australian Open last week, the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena let out a collective gasp of disbelief.
As Murray moved in the wrong direction, leaving the court wide open, Berrettini dumped the ball halfway down the net. At the most important moment of his day, the Italian — talented enough to be the Wimbledon runner-up in 2021 — was unable to hit a shot he might make the other 999 times out of 1,000.
