Matteo Berrettini has the game to topple Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and become a surprise winner at Wimbledon, according to Alexander Zverev.
Berrettini lost to Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon in 2021, but was not expected to make inroads this year following struggles with injuries which saw him drop to No38 in the world rankings. However, the Italian has been in eye-catching form at SW19 so far, beating Alex De Minaur, Lorenzo Sonego and Zverev to reach the last-16.
He produced a serving masterclass on Court One on Saturday night to get past Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 7-6. Berrettini will now face world No1 Alcaraz in the next round – but he shouldn’t be daunted according to his most recent beaten opponent.
"I told him that he can win the tournament if he plays like this, in my opinion,” Zverev said. “Of course, there are other players that are great. He's playing Alcaraz next. I think he's a great player as well. But if he plays like this, to be honest, he has chances against anybody."
Zverez created just one breakpoint against the Berrettini serve, which is his clear strength. The 27-year-old came through in two hours and 27 minutes and remained humble in his post-match press conference.
"I thanked [Zverev] already. I have to say I felt really good, but I know this is something I don't have to think about right now,” he said.
“The attitude is going to be the same. Every match is really tough. Today I played good, but doesn't mean anything in terms of winning the tournament.”
This was only the 17th match of an injury-ridden year for Berrettini, who missed Wimbledon last year due to Covid-19. He added: “I wasn't sure I was going to play. I flew here and I said maybe the atmosphere is going to help me a little bit.
“I was really not sure about it. Not because I didn't want to. In order to play a slam, you have to be ready physically, emotionally, mentally. There are many things.
“The will is not enough. But then I have to say I did a great job with my team. We worked really hard. They let me decide. They told me 'it has to be your decision.
“A few days before, I thought 'I'm not ready.' But I missed too many events in the last years. I couldn't leave this place without trying. That's what I said to myself. I love to play here. Last year I missed it and I still didn't heal from that withdrawal. This tournament changed my career, my life and I'm really happy.”
Berrettini will now face Alcaraz, who has beaten Jeremy Chardy, Alexandre Muller and Nicolas Jarry so far. The Italian knows he will face a stern test against the Spaniard as he enters week two.
"The first time I played him two years ago I felt that this kid was special,” he said. “He has won so much already. We’ve always had great matches so I’m really looking forward to that one."
