Matteo Berrettini is still desperately scrambling to recover from his injury troubles.
The Italian ace, who was once ranked sixth in the world, has had a torrid time of late when it comes to persisting ailments.
His last match came back back in October, and even that saw him retire early. Then, his plans to play in last month’s Australian Open were further scuppered, with his mouth-watering tie against Stefanos Tsitsipas called off too.
However, amidst all the misery, he has revealed how his relationship with Jannik Sinner has changed.
But what did he have to say about the 22-year-old starlet? We take a closer look…
What Matteo Berrettini said about Jannik Sinner
It cannot be easy to watch a countryman five years his junior shoot to prominence with such speed, already ranked higher than he ever has been, and already with a Grand Slam title under his belt.
Even Novak Djokovic had to bow to his excellent form.
Berrettini had worked so hard to be in a position where it truly felt like he could compete, but injuries have sent him sprawling right back to where he started.
And whilst it must be near-impossible to stay positive all the time, he has admitted that his relationship with the 2024 Australian Open winner has actually blossomed in recent months despite his inability to play.
The 27-year-old claimed: ‘Sinner did a miracle, I will also use this energy for my tennis. With Jannik, we have a good relationship which has strengthened in recent months. We are different but similar, we pursue the same dream.’
We all want to see Matteo Berrettini challenge again
For the relative obscurity that Berrettini has fallen into over the last 12 months, it cannot be forgotten just how dangerous he was back during his best years.
After all, between 2019 and 2022, he went to the quarter-finals or further in each Grand Slam at least once, including a Wimbledon final which he sadly lost to Djokovic.
As one of many to have been thwarted by the relentless 36-year-old, it felt like that marked his real chance to add that coveted major title to his seven other ATP successes.
The hope is that, after this elongated period out of the game, he will soon be at the physical level to start working his way back up the pyramid.
Especially given how, on occasion, he used to upset those at the apex of the sport, having beaten Andy Murray and Casper Ruud three times, Carlos Alcaraz once and Alexander Zverev twice.
Hopefully, upon his steady return to action, he will be back amongst these names once again.
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