Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini etch their names into the record books as the first players in Wimbledon history to practice on Centre Court
Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini have etched their names in Wimbledon history after becoming the first players to practice on the iconic Centre Court. The tournament broke a long-standing tradition this year, allowing players to practice on the Centre and No. 1 Courts before the competition kicks off.
The move was made to break in the grass sooner and prevent slips and injuries, a concern that was raised last year after high-profile players such as 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams suffered serious mishaps at the event.
#Wimbledon y el fin de una de sus tradiciones más sagradas: permitirles a los jugadores que se entrenen en el Centre Court (era reservado sólo para los partidos).
Lo "inauguran" Rafa #Nadal y el italiano #Berrettini. twitter.com/Mike_Dickson_D…
Nadal and Berrettini played a practice set on Centre Court today, which reportedly went 6-4 in favor of the Italian. According to Manuel Sanchez Gomez of Spanish international news agency Agencia EFE, who was there in person to witness the session, the 22-time Grand Slam champion had his serve broken at 3-3 to hand the advantage to the World No. 10.
6-4 para Berrettini.
Nadal tuvo un 0-30 final que no pudo aprovechar.
Rival más duro y mucho más adaptado. Pasito a pasito. https://t.co/70HNH8pNf2
Although he had a 0-30 lead in the 36-year-old's final service game, he could not capitalize further, handing the victory to Berrettini. It should be noted that the practice session was not open to spectators, and only a few select journalists on site were privy to the details of the training spell.
The earliest Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini could meet at Wimbledon this year is in the quarterfinals
Rafael Nadal will be seeded second at Wimbledon this year, while Matteo Berrettini will be the eighth seed. The earliest they can meet at SW19 therefore is in the quarterfinals, provided the draw, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow, keeps them in the same quarter and they both make it that far.
The World No. 4 is a two-time winner of the tournament, but is appearing for the first time at the event since 2019. Back then, he made the semifinals, losing to Roger Federer in an extraordinary four-setter.
Men's top 8 seeds for Wimbledon
1 Novak Djokovic
2 Rafa Nadal
3 Casper Ruud
4 Stefanos Tsitsipas
5 Carlos Alcaraz
6 Felix Auger Aliassime
7 Hubert Hurkacz
8 Matteo Berrettini
Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray will both be dangerous unseeded floaters.
#Wimbledon
Berrettini, meanwhile, made it all the way to the finals last year, falling to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Although the Italian took the first set, he could not sustain the momentum against the seasoned veteran and capitulated in the next three to hand the Serb his 20th Grand Slam.
Stuart Fraser
For the first time in the history, practice has been allowed at Centre Court of Wimbledon before the beginning of the tournament 🔥
Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini are the lucky ones to have this honour 😍
📷 Stuart Fraser
#RafaelNadal #MatteoBerrettini #Tennis #Wimbledon https://t.co/Ti1yXcczd7
Nadal and Berrettini are both considered among the top favorites for the title this year, just behind defending champion Djokovic. While the former World No. 1 hasn't played any competitive tennis on grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon, Berrettini will come in with the confidence of two grass titles under his belt — the Stuttgart Open and the Queen's Club Championships.