Matteo Berrettini! That name used to be synonymous with Italian tennis and everything good about it.
Not so long ago, the burly Berrettini was the poster boy for Italian tennis; now he finds himself something of an outcast when the subject comes up. It now seems ironic that while his fellow Italian Jannik Sinner is fighting for the No. 1 spot, Berrettini is grappling for relevance. It highlights just how quickly fortunes can change in the world of tennis and how today’s man could be tomorrow’s news.
Berretini’s Fall From Grace
A brief look at his precedents shows just how far he has strayed from his role as the face of Italian tennis. He is the first man born in the 1990’s and the first Italian man to reach the quarters, or better, at all four Majors. He was part of the Italian Davis Cup-winning teams in 2024 and 2025, going undefeated in all his rubbers. In 2021, he became the first Italian (male or female) to reach the Wimbledon singles final. He was, by all indications, the one who was supposed to lead Italian tennis to the summit.
Now ranked No. 90 on the ATP Tour, he finds himself less considered, lagging behind not just Sinner but also counterparts such as Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, and Luciano Darderi, and is not seeded in most of the competitions he has played lately.
His fall from grace has been staggering and not simply a matter of skill. He has found it extremely challenging to remain fit. His ongoing battles with injury have not only affected his time on court but also plagued his mental health.
Speaking in January, he opened up about the effects, saying, “Mental health has become one of the most important things for me. Obviously, I take care of my nutrition, training, sleep routine, and all that, but mental well-being has become crucial, especially due to the injuries and everything that came with them”. It is not the first time he has cited issues with mental health, suggesting that it has played a vital role in his recent struggles.
Medvedev vs Berrettini Monte Carlo Preview
A Fresh Start
Following a less-than-impressive start to his 2026 season and finding himself at risk of not making the main draw at the French Open, he brought in Thomas Enqvist to his coaching setup a few weeks ago. Speaking this week, he said, “With him and Alessandro Bega, I’ve built the perfect team to walk alongside me on the path I’ve set for myself”. He will now look to translate that path into on-court success and will hope the clay season brings a change in fortunes.
He faces Daniil Medvedev in his second match in Monte Carlo, having barely had to exert himself in his first-round match after an injury during the match, but, ironically, it was his opponent, Roberto Bautista Agut, who suffered the injury, retiring after only four games.
His reward is a match-up against the Russian, which poses an interesting challenge. While he comes into the match-up nowhere near his best, he is by far the more accomplished clay-court player of the two. However, he has yet to beat Medvedev in three meetings, although those matches were played on hard courts, which is undoubtedly the Russian’s best surface.
If Berrettini is looking for some inspiration, he can draw some from his opponent, who, for much of last year, looked like a man lost at sea but has steadily rediscovered his form, having won two titles already this season and clawed his way back into the ATP top-10. There is little doubt that a victory here against what is still one of the ATP’s trickiest customers will give the Italian a much-needed boost and the belief he can still mix it with the best on tour.
Time Running Out
The match itself is probably predictable in terms of how it is expected to play out.
The Italian will be looking for easy, short points by trying to dictate with his booming serve and forehand. Medvedev, on the other hand, will almost certainly be looking to draw Berrettini into long, drawn-out points, and will hope for more backhand exchanges, where, despite some tweaks, remains the Italians weakness. Either way, it promises to be an interesting match, not least because of the obvious clash of styles.
Berretini’s first-round match, as short-lived as it was, did not give any real indication of how he would adapt to the challenges of clay-court tennis. The real question is how well the Italian’s body can withstand the grueling demands of clay-court tennis when he faces Medvedev, particularly in Monte Carlo, which is known for its slow pace.
Aged 29 and set to turn 30 before the close of the competition, the former poster boy of Italian tennis must now hope and pray that his fortunes change soon, as he enters what has to be his last years in the sport.
He would be hoping to start again, making good on the early promise; otherwise, when the curtains close on his career, it will inevitably be a reflection of what could have been. The match against Medvedev offers a potentially course-changing opportunity for the Italian, who first led the way in many ways. Time will tell!
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports