Nick Kyrgios has come to Matteo Berrettini’s defense after Italian tennis legend Nicola Piatrangeli called out the 2021 Wimbledon finalist for “being devoted to advertising himself rather than being focused on tennis.” Berrettini, a former world No 6, is the global ambassador of Boss – the core brand of Hugo Boss.
Also, Berrettini has a sponsorship deal with Red Bull. With that being said, Berrettini is no stranger to shooting commercials. “But isn’t it his choice to prioritise? I can assure you this, he is making more bank than sinner off the court, and for some of us, money is important,” Kyrgios asked.
But isn’t it his choice to prioritise? I can assure you this, he is making more bank than sinner off the court ð¤¦ð½âï¸ and for some of us, money is important — Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) February 17, 2023
Kyrgios defends Berrettini after Pietrangeli’s comments
In the summer of 2021, Berrettini fell just short of becoming the first Italian male player since 1976 to win a Grand Slam.
Since then, Berrettini has had some notable Grand Slam runs as he made the 2022 Australian Open semifinal and also reached the 2022 US Open quarterfinal. But after a runner-up finish at 2021 Wimbledon, Pietrangeli seemingly expected Berrettini to shortly after win a Grand Slam.
“It seems to me that Matteo is devoting himself more to advertising than to tennis. I wouldn’t like him to end up like Volandri, who after beating Federer in Rome, didn’t do anything again. He’s a good guy, he reminds me a bit of Pannatta.
Very handsome from the waist up, but his legs don’t move as they should,” Pietrangeli told the Gazzetta dello Sport. It should be noted that Berrettini was hit by setbacks in 2022 that impacted his Grand Slam results.
Because of a hand injury, Berrettini didn’t compete at the French Open. Then, Berrettini had the most unfortunate end to his Wimbledon. Going into Wimbledon, Berrettini was considered the second favorite for the title, right after Novak Djokovic.
Then on the day of his Wimbledon first-round match, Berrettini tested positive for COVID-19 and didn’t even get a chance to compete for the Wimbledon title.
