By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday April 12, 2023
Matteo Berrettini came through a tight tussle to reach the round of 16 at Monte-Carlo for the first time.
Photo Source: TTV
Matteo Berrettini has had a difficult go of it in 2023, suffering a first-round loss to Andy Murray at the Australian Open, which later knocked him out of the Top 20.
Since then his struggles have continued. Berrettini had to retire from his quarterfinal with Holger Rune in Acapulco with a leg injury - that was his only quarterfinal of the season.
After a big win on his 27th birthday in Monte-Carlo, the Italian is angling for another.
Berrettini topped Argentina’s Francisco Cerundulo in a wild match on Wednesday, serving a round of 16 clash with Holger Rune on Thursday.
It’s been an important week for Berrettini in Monte-Carlo, who entered the week with a 0-2 career record in the town he calls home. Make that 2-2 after wins over Maxime Cressy and Cerundolo, Berrettini’s fortunes are looking up.
It nearly went dark on him, however. After building a 5-0 lead in the opening set, the Italian lost the next seven games to drop the opening set 7-5.
“I don't know what happened,” Berrettini said. “I just felt a little bit more insecure in what I was doing and I think he started to play better.”
Berrettini picked up his level in the second set and never faced another break point for the rest of the match.
“It's tennis, it's a mental game,” he said. “I couldn't win the first set, but then in the second I said, ‘Okay, I cannot let it go like that. I have to fight. I have to be there. I didn't play many matches in the last month. So I miss these kind of scenarios and atmosphere.”
This spring offers a great chance for Berrettini to rebuild his ranking. The former World No.6 is not defending any points until the grass season, as he missed all of the spring last year while recovering from right hand surgery, which he underwent in March of 2022.
Round of 16 Set
They are down to 16 in Monte-Carlos and all eight matches will take place tomorrow on the red clay. Top-seeded Novak Djokovic is back in action against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, while No.2-seed and two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Nicolas Jarry. In the final match on the main stadium (Court Rainier III) third-seeded Daniil Medvedev will face Alexander Zverev.
See the full round of 16 lineup here: