"My mum got for me a long time ago" - Matteo Berrettini reveals his sole on-court 'ritual'
Matteo Berrettini has said that he considers a necklace gifted to him by his mother as an essential that he always takes with him on to the court. The Italian also laid bare the on-court ritual that he performs with the necklace.
The former World No. 6 experienced a drastic decline in form last year. Berrettini also struggled with abdominal and ankle injuries, which saw him miss the 2023 French Open and retire from his second-round US Open match.
Things continued in the same vein early on in the 2024 season, as a right foot injury forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open, where he was supposed to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.
However, Berrettini has tried to get his career back on track since missing out on the year's first Major. While the 2021 Wimbledon finalist has had to endure multiple disappointing results so far this season, he did win the Grand Prix Hassan II, an ATP 250 event in Marrakech, Morocco.
In a recent interview with Esquire, Berrettini was asked if he has any locker room or kit bag essentials. In his answer, the Italian said that he is a messy person, which makes it difficult for him to have one particular thing in his locker room or kit bag all the time.
"I'm probably one of the messiest people on the planet, so I struggle to have one item that I always take me," Berrettini told Esquire.
However, the former World No. 6 went on to reveal that he is superstitious only about a necklace that his mother Claudia Bigo gave to him. Berrettini also said that every time before he steps out on the court for a match, he takes the necklace out from his bag and places it on his bench.
"But I’m superstitious about my necklace. That's the one that my mum got for me a long time ago, and since I started playing professional I always put it on. When I get on court, I take it out and I put it on the bench, and that's my ritual," Berrettini added.
Matteo Berrettini credited his mother Claudia for his good looks earlier this year
In March this year, Berrettini was in action at the 2024 Phoenix Challenger, where he reached the final before eventually losing at the last hurdle to Nuno Borges. During the event, the Italian answered some of his fans' questions about him. One of the questions inquired about the reason behind his dashing looks.
An embarrassed Berrettini said that his looks boil down to the Italian and Brazilian genes he has inherited from his mother Claudia.
"Why is Matteo Berrettini so handsome?' Uhm… I think good genes. Brazilian genes in me, Italian. I didn’t do anything, it was just a gift I guess… so embarrassing," Berrettini said.
Right now, the World No. 95 is a part of the Stuttgart Open lineup. The Italian overcame No. 8 seed Roman Safiullin 7-6(8), 5-7, 7-5 in the first round, and is set to square off against former World No. 10 Denis Shapovalov next on Thursday, June 13.