Former world No 1 names French Open star who can turn Wimbledon ‘on its head’
Matteo Berrettini is into round four of the French Open for only the second time in his career, but his chances of a maiden Grand Slam in Paris are being written off.
The 6ft 5in player became the first Italian to reach the men’s singles finals at Wimbledon in 2021, only to lose to Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Since then, the 30-year-old has reached two US Open quarter-finals and an Australian Open semi-final, but the last few years have been injury-hit.
Indeed, Berrettini is playing at Roland Garros for the first time since that 2021 quarter-final run and next up, he faces Juan Manuel Cerundolo for a place in the last eight.
However, after a gruelling five-setter against Francisco Comesana, the Rome native may struggle to recover in time. Berrettini was not among the favourites for the French Open but at Wimbledon, it could be a different story.
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That is according to Andy Roddick, who believes the former world No 6 will be a real dark horse at SW19 – despite only reaching the second week of Wimbledon one one occasion.
However, four of his 10 titles have come on grass, including winning Queen’s twice, with the other six coming on clay.
Former world No 1 Roddick said on the latest episode of Served, “Hopefully Berrettini goes as far as he wants to go. Great opportunity against a young Cerundolo, and the next round, but circle this result as a… nobody is going to want to play Berrettini on grass.
“When he’s playing well, he’s one of the best 10 grass court players on earth. In my opinion, when he has health and he’s playing, this is only going to help him. I don’t think he’s a contender here on this surface (clay).
“And I think he is someone that can really, really interrupt Wimbledon and turn it on its head. He’s won Queen’s a couple of times, but happy to see him healthy, playing well and advancing.”
As Roddick pointed out, the biggest hurdle for Berrettini in recent years has been his own body. The veteran has had a slew of injuries, which have kept him off court for months on end.
With his serve, forehand, and slice, he can certainly be a threat at Wimbledon if he stays injury-free. Jannik Sinner and Djokovic will be the favourites for the grass Grand Slam but don’t rule out the big Italian.
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