Matteo Berrettini’s run through the Wimbledon draw to his maiden grand slam final in 2021 felt like a significant moment. Even though he lost to Novak Djokovic in the decisive match, Berrettini had already established himself as one Italy’s finest tennis players. After his defeat, Berrettini travelled straight from Wimbledon to Wembley where spent that night and the following days toasting to his success with the Italian team that had conquered Euro 2020.
Three years later, Berrettini’s success is a distant memory, a consequence of injuries, miserable luck and the flourishing greatness of his brilliant opponent on Centre Court. Jannik Sinner, who became the first ever Italian ATP No 1 last month, has since taken tennis in their country to unprecedented heights and on Wednesday afternoon, he reinforced the new status quo in a tense, high-quality tussle by producing three flawless tie-breaks under pressure to defeat Berrettini 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4) and reach the third round.
