Rome, 11 December 2024 – “Dear tennis. I felt you were the love of my life…”. 

Thus begins Matteo Berrettini’s love letter to tennis, published on the official ATP website. 

“You have been a challenge and you continue to be and that is why I like you so much. You have always been a family matter, something that ran in our blood – the letter continues – The first thing my parents did was give me a racket, when I was only three years old. And I remember I didn’t like tennis, so I quit. I started again at eight years old, because my brother, who is younger than me, asked me to come back to play for fun. My brother He always wanted to be Djokovic, I chose Federer: we played for hours at home, with balloons, with small or large rackets, it didn’t matter. We just wanted to have fun. We didn’t start off on the right foot, but we were good at changing and now I have fun with you, completely. You’ve been a part of me ever since.”

Then the sad notes. “In 2017 at the Rome tournament, my home tournament, I lost badly to Fognini, he crushed me – recalls the 28-year-old Roman, fresh winner of the Davis Cup -. You hit me hard, but at the same time At the same time I felt strong emotions, which I wanted to experience again: a drive to improve. The rest is history. You taught me all this the hard way, sometimes. But that’s why I’m here. I think every negative thing, if we can call it that, is what got me here, to enjoy everything to the fullest. I won some titles, I reached the final of a Slam. I played the ATP Finals in London and Turin. You taught me to be resilient, combative, to believe in the people I work with. For me it’s not just sport, but the opportunity to meet people, make friends that are almost family. I was lucky enough to meet people who changed my life, on and off the court. After all these years, I think I know you, and it would be nice to see what awaits us. With love, Matteo.”