Matteo Berrettini announced he was parting ways with coach Francisco Roig after just 10 months together.
Having teamed up with Vincenzo Santopadre for over a decade, Matteo Berrettini split with him this time last year.
An injury at the US Open forced the Italian to the sidelines for close to six months – fitness struggles that have semi-disrupted this year too.
The 28-year-old returned in March and won his first title since 2022 in Morocco, before injuries reared their head and caused him to miss virtually all of the clay-court season.
Coming back at Wimbledon, Berrettini later picked up his second and third titles of the year with back-to-back success in Gstaad and Kitzbühel.
Now however, Berrettini has split with coach Francisco Roig, despite their largely successful first year together.
Matteo Berrettini announces plan for 2025
A spate of coaching partnerships have come towards the end of the 2024 season, but mostly on the WTA circuit.
Iga Swiatek split with Tomasz Wiktorowski to join up with Wim Fissette, who’d just been sacked by Naomi Osaka.
In a similar time period to Berrettini, Coco Gauff split with Brad Gilbert – her coach of 14 months who helped deliver her maiden Grand Slam.
Seemingly, despite success, players sometimes just don’t see eye-to-eye with a coach and therefore look for a change.
Berrettini’s coaching axe seems to have taken this shape, with the Italian saying: “The separation from Francis (Roig) has not been an easy choice, but it was mutual.
“He has helped me a lot on this journey back, helped me improve, but it’s true that we saw some things differently,” he said, via Punto de Break. “It was a completely professional decision, so I truly thank him for everything he did for me; we have had a successful year. Now it’s time to turn the page towards a new chapter, hopefully with the best waiting in the future.”
Adding his appreciation for Alessandro Bega, who continued to serve as the assistant coach, the Italian added: “It’s also important to commend Bega for the work he did with me this past year; without him, I probably wouldn’t have overcome all the difficult moments I faced.”
Looking forward to next year, Berrettini continued: “However, the idea now is to find someone who can help us again; at the end of this season, we will sit down and try to study and understand the best path we can take for 2025.”
Matteo Berrettini can pose a major threat at the Australian Open
Berrettini certainly has the tools to be a significant threat at the Australian Open providing his powerful serve and forehand arrive in good health.
His aggressive baseline play is perfectly suited to Melbourne’s hard-courts, with a decent run on the surface towards the end of this year.
Providing any major wobbles or injury, he will likely secure a seeded position, granting him a slightly easier route in.
While Italian hopes will largely be on Jannik Sinner as he looks to defend his title, Berrettini has a point to prove, especially having missed last year.
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