In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the new love story between Matteo Berrettini and showgirl Melissa Satta. Berrettini’s attitude, according to the former legend Nicola Pietrangeli, is influencing the Italian tennis player.
The two-time Roland Garros winner threw a real dig at both Berrettini and Adriano Panatta after receiving the sports career award from the foreign press in Rome. Pietrangeli said in the words collected by the newspaper La Repubblica: “It seems to me that he is dedicating himself more to advertising than to tennis.
He’s a good guy, but he’s a bit like Adriano Panatta was: fantastic from the waist up, but the legs. Will Jannik Sinner win a Grand Slam? If I knew, I’d bet on it. Sinner is the best Italian tennis player at the moment; he sings one way, I sang another.
Compared to me he has an advantage: he is German!”
Matteo Berrettini’s troubles in the season
Matteo Berrettini’s 2022 was unfortunately conditioned by injuries. The Italian tennis player had to give up some of the best tournaments on the circuit and missed the whole season on clay.
After the foot problem that occurred at the ATP 250 event in Naples last October, the Roman returned to the field directly in 2023 at the United Cup. Berrettini beat two top ten players, Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz, and her reached the final with Italy in the new team event.
At the Australian Open, however, he was eliminated in the first round by Andy Murray in an incredible match that ended in the fifth set which saw him miss a comfortable backhand on the match point he had available. Matteo Berrettini should return to the field directly at the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco scheduled from February 27 to March 4.
In fact, the Italian is not registered for any of the events that will take place next week and has decided not to play on clay as happened last year, when he participated in the Rio Open in Brazil.
