Matteo Berrettini has won his first match of the clay court season, but perhaps not in the way he would have imagined against Roberto Bautista Agut.
Berrettini received a wildcard for the Monte Carlo Masters, where he would look to win his first match of the clay court season.
The former Wimbledon finalist is also continuing his work with Thomas Enqvist, the former world number four who Berrettini has been working with since last month.
Berrettini was dealt a tricky draw against former top 10 player Bautista Agut, but the match lasted just four games.
Matteo Berrettini’s post-match comments after Roberto Bautista Agut retires
Despite receiving a wildcard for the Monte Carlo Masters, Berrettini had only won 50% of his previous eight matches at the tournament last year.
Berrettini took an early 3-0 lead against Bautista Agut, before his opponent left the court to receive a medical timeout.
Bautista Agut then returned to court to play one more game, before he decided that he could no longer continue and retired from the match.
Berrettini has dealt with many injury issues of his own throughout his career, and wished Bautista Agut well in his post-match interview.
“Definitely not the way I wanted to win. I came out ready for the match and for the fight,” said Berrettini.
“I know how tough it is to retire from a match so I wish him all the best in his recovery and I’m going to think about my next match.”
Berrettini has now extended his dominant record in his head-to-head against Bautista Agut to 5-1, as he now looks ahead to his second round match at the Monte Carlo Masters.
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Matteo Berrettini targeting career first against Daniil Medvedev
While Berrettini has a dominant record against Bautista Agut, he has never beaten his next opponent in Daniil Medvedev.
Having played three times before, Berrettini has never been able to beat Medvedev, with their most recent meeting taking place at the 2022 ATP Cup.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2018 | Indian Wells (R64) | Medvedev beat Berrettini, 6(6)-7 7-5 6-4 |
| 2021 | ATP Cup | Medvedev beat Berrettini, 6-4 6-2 |
| 2022 | ATP Cup | Medvedev beat Berrettini, 6-2 6(5)-7 6-4 |
All three of these matches have taken place on hard courts, and Berrettini is hoping to beat Medvedev for the first time on clay, a surface he has not always been the biggest fan of.
“Yeah, Daniil he’s an unbelievable player, he’s had an unbelievable career,” said Berrettini. “He’s been playing some amazing tennis. We all know that clay is not his favourite surface, but I’ve never won against him so hopefully it’s going to be the first time.”
Berrettini and Medvedev will play their first match against each other in four years at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, April 8.
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