Matteo Berrettini builds his perfect tennis player as he picks who had a better forehand out of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Posted by author February 16, 2025 Tennis

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Matteo Berrettini has been handed a very tricky Qatar Open first round match, having been drawn to face Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic once shocked Rafael Nadal at the Qatar Open, with the ATP 500 tournament up next in the schedule.

Roger Federer, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are all multiple winners of the tournament, with the Serbian the only one involved this time around given that the others have all retired.

Djokovic returns after his Australian Open semi-final run, where he withdrew during his match against Alexander Zverev.

The Serbian was a set down when he retired hurt from his meeting with Zverev in Melbourne, but looks set to return to the court at the Qatar Open.

Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Matteo Berrettini chooses Roger Federer’s forehand as he builds his perfect player

And he takes on Berrettini in the round of 32 in Doha, with the Italian having lost at this stage of the Rotterdam Open after his Australian Open second round exit.

Ahead of his latest event, he was tasked by La Gazzetta dello Sport and Red Bull to build his perfect tennis player from a range of categories.

Starting with the serve, Berrettini opted for Ivo Karlovic, who is behind only John Isner for the most ATP aces of all time.

READ MORE: Stan Wawrinka names the toughest opponent he faced between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray

Federer was chosen for forehand, with Djokovic claiming the backhand spot as Jannik Sinner was selected for his return.

Berrettini chose himself for the slice, with Pete Sampras earning the volley spot as Carlos Alcaraz took the footwork spot.

Nadal was then chosen for both mentality and power, while the perfect player was completed with Federer’s style and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s celebration.

Matteo Berrettini rates Roger Federer higher than Rafael Nadal

Berrettini certainly knows what it takes to compete with the very best, although he has lost his only Grand Slam final to date.

Djokovic beat the Italian in the 2021 Wimbledon final, but Berrettini does sit on double figures for tour-level titles.

He boasts 10 throughout his career, with the former world number six currently sitting 34th in the ATP rankings.

READ MORE: The man who Pete Sampras picked as the best tennis player of all time back in 2014

Berrettini was also tasked with choosing between Federer and Nadal, and indeed his favourite surface between clay and grass.

And it was the Swiss star who he opted for instead of the Spaniard, with the Italian preferring grass over clay.