Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal will be ready to fire when tennis resumes: Berrettini
There has been a lot of talk lately about when the 'Big 3' of men's tennis - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - will be displaced from the top. And while some feel that the current tour suspension will stall the juggernaut of the ageing trio, others believe they will be back as good as ever when tennis resumes.
Talented rising star Matteo Berrettini is firmly in the latter category. The Italian believes Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will continue their dominance upon their return, even if the younger players are learning the tricks of the trade.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be ready but the young guys are getting better too: Berrettini
The stock of the 24-year-old Matteo Berrettini has been on the ascendancy over the past 18 months, as he has firmly established his place among the young players to watch out for. But the Italian, who has a career-high ranking of World No. 8, expects no easy route for the Next Gen stars when play finally resumes.
Speaking after his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, Berrettini said that he expects the big names like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to be ready and firing next month. Reiterating how the Big 3 have in the past come back strong from injury setbacks, Berrettini said:
“In the past, when one of these three guys got injured, they came back stronger and playing better, which is crazy for me. It takes great effort to come back like that. For sure, I think these guys (Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal) will be ready," Berrettini said.
While Berrettini expects big names like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to come back strong, he has observed that the younger players are getting better too. Speaking about his experience in the Ultimate Tennis tournament, Berrettini said:
"I played last week against Andrey Rublev and he is playing really well. The young guys are working really hard and hopefully there could be a bit of a change when tennis comes back."
Matteo Berrettini had his breakthrough year last year as he qualified for the season ending ATP Finals for the first time in his career. He did so on the back of some inspired performances - most notably his semifinal appearance at the US Open, where he went down to Rafael Nadal.
Victories against higher-ranked players like Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem in 2019 boosted the youngster's confidence, and he is now firmly entrenched in the top 10.
While there seems to be no doubt about the potential of the young Berrettini, uncertainty looms large over the participation of big names at the remaining Grand Slams this year. Federer has been ruled out for rest of 2020 due to a knee injury, and there have been reports over the past couple of weeks that defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal may also give the New York event a miss.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has been flip-flopping about his willingness to travel to New York for the US Open; there is a real possibility that he will be absent too. That might well open the doors for someone like Matteo Berrettini to make a breakthrough.