Matteo Berrettini recalls Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, says he "couldn't eat" and his "head started spinning" before the match
In an interview with ATPTour.com, Matteo Berrettini shed some light on the nerves he felt before taking on Novak Djokovic at this year's Wimbledon final. Speaking to Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, Berrettini revealed that he struggled to eat and felt dizzy moments before taking to the court against Djokovic.
Berrettini made his maiden Slam final at the All England Club this year, where he faced defending champion Novak Djokovic. The Italian began well and took the first set in a tiebreak. However, Djokovic found his groove thereafter and clinched his 20th Major title.
When asked by Paulo Dybala to describe his mental state ahead of the final, Berrettini revealed that he was incredibly nervous, which even affected his ability to swallow food.
“I had knots in my stomach (ahead of the Wimbledon final against Djokovic)," Berrettini told Dybala. "I tried to force myself to eat but nothing was going in, so it was hard to deal with."
Berrettini explained that the overall situation did not bode well for him since he needed energy against Djokovic in the final. The Italian pointed out how the Serb was a lot more relaxed given the fact that he has played in dozens of Slam finals. Berrettini recalled that his hands were "sweating" ahead of the match and that his "head started spinning."
"As you know, Grand Slams are best-of-five sets it wasn’t exactly easy against Djokovic,” Berrettini said to Dybala. “So I was in the locker room. It was just me and Novak. He had already played more than 30 Grand Slam finals so he was definitely more used to it than me, but he felt tension."
"He (Novak Djokovic) was there relaxing with music in his headphones and I was there like, ‘I can’t even eat some rice. How am I supposed to play?’… I remember my hands were sweating, I couldn’t eat and when I was talking to my team, my head started spinning," Berrettini added.
The 25-year-old showed signs of nerves in the opening stages of the match and dropped his serve early on, but slowly found his range and leveled proceedings before taking the set in a tiebreak.
Berrettini explained to Dybala that he overcame his nerves a few minutes before the match and that adrenaline helped him regain his confidence.
“Something snaps inside you, 20, 30 minutes before the match, when you start warming up," Berrettini explained to Dybala. "You feel that adrenaline rush, the desire to win, and you feel like you could beat anyone. You say ‘I’m here because I deserve it’… Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It was an incredible experience on court, I hope to have more such experiences in the future."
Matteo Berrettini reveals he was "tired" during his Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic
During his conversation with Paulo Dybala, Matteo Berrettini asserted that he only has positive memories of his Wimbledon campaign despite losing the title clash to Novak Djokovic.
The Italian went on to reveal that although he slept well ahead of his match against Djokovic, he felt fatigued because he could not eat properly.
"If I think of Wimbledon now I only think about positive things, even though I lost the final because it was a beautiful tournament," Berrettini told Dybala. "I slept well (ahead of the final) but I didn't eat. In fact I felt a little tired during the final."