Matteo Berrettini will play the Santiago de Chile ATP 250 this week.
The Italian veteran did not achieve exceptional results in the first two tournaments of his season, but it was normal that he could not be at the top of his shape after the stop due to the abdominal injury. The 29-year-old from Rome was unable to play the Australian Open and decided not to risk anything, being aware that the year is very long and that he needs to remain intact.
The 2021 Wimbledon Championships finalist began his 2026 campaign at the Buenos Aires ATP 250, where he won a tricky match on his debut (against local idol Federico Coria) before losing decisively to Vit Kopriva in the next round.
Matteo expressed a higher level of tennis in the following Rio de Janeiro ATP 500, where he reached the quarterfinals by defeating Barrios Vera and Lajovic. He had a chance to reach the semifinals, given that his opponent in the quarterfinals was the young Peruvian Ignacio Buse (who had eliminated Joao Fonseca in the previous round), but he lost in three sets also due to the particularly slow conditions.
Berrettini is more relaxed
Berrettini immediately moved to Chile, where he will make his debut against the American ace Emilio Nava (number 79 in the ATP ranking).
"I have practiced with him a couple of times, he is a regular player and very strong from a physical point of view" – said Matteo in an interview with 'El Mercurio'. "I expect a tough match, as the conditions will be very different from previous tournaments. I feel good and I hope to play as many matches as possible here" – added the former Top 10.
Berrettini doesn't want to have pressure at this stage of his career: "I just want to enjoy tennis with my team and my family. I am confident that I can return to play my best tennis in the most important tournaments, but I also know that I must not be in a hurry because I have gone through so many injuries. I have to have faith in this process."
