Matteo Berrettini showed his liking for the grass surface in 2021 as, not only did he reach his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, but he also prevailed in the Queen’s Club Championship.
Berrettini’s game is suited to grass, as he is a big server who makes it difficult for his opponents to return the ball when it zips off the firm surface. However, the Italian has far more to his game than his serve: we saw last year at Queen’s and Wimbledon how comfortable he is at the net.
The 25-year-old is currently the 8/1 second-favourite to lift the trophy at SW19 later this year and it will be his fourth appearance in the tournament, so he will be familiar with the Grand Slam event now. He represents the best value against the firm favourite, Novak Djokovic, the man who beat him in the final last July.
Unlike the French Open on clay, serving is obviously very important at Wimbledon. When you look at Tom McGarry’s compilation of the 5 longest tennis matches in Wimbledon history, they involve the likes of John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey, players who rarely have their service broken. All of those men have proved to be particularly difficult to beat on grass.
Italian’s Game Continues To Improve
There are signs of constant improvement for the Italian, so far. It’s pretty impressive to consider that Berrettini reached the quarter-final or better in three Grand Slam events in 2021. It was a really good year for him, as he was successful in the Serbia Open and was the runner-up in the Madrid Open, the latter being an ATP 1000 event.
It’s known that the biggest weakness in Berrettini’s game over the past few seasons has been his backhand. However, this has improved over the last 12 months and his results reflect that. His backhand slice is one of the best on the ATP Tour, while his forehand wins him lots of points, particularly down the line.
The Italian is now up to number seven in the world rankings, which means his seeding in the big events is going to improve. By the time Wimbledon comes along, he could be further up the standings. If he can avoid being in the same half as Djokovic, it will be a big boost to his chances.
Djokovic’s Reign Could End This Year
World number one Djokovic has an excellent record at Wimbledon, so he is the rightful favourite for the Grand Slam event this summer. The Serbian has won the last three tournaments at SW19.
It is hard to predict how much tennis Djokovic will play in 2022. He missed the Australian Open in Melbourne, so it has not been an ideal start to the year, as he bids for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.
There were signs in 2021 that Berrettini has the game to hurt the six-time Wimbledon winner on the grass. Overall, it was the inexperience of playing in a Grand Slam final that went against the runner-up. He’ll have learnt a lot from that defeat, and the next time he reaches the final expects to see a better performance.
Berrettini is a player who can reach the top of the tennis rankings over the next few years. Victory at Wimbledon can help take a huge step towards that.
