"Roger Federer killed me but it was wonderful" - Matteo Berrettini recalls his first meeting with the Swiss
Matteo Berrettini recently recalled his first on-court meeting with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
Berrettini and Federer crossed paths for the first time during the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Federer registered an easy win, which incidentally was his 99th at SW19.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion secured a dominant 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win, finishing the match in just an hour and 13 minutes.
Berrettini, who is currently preparing to compete in the 2023 Canadian Open, spoke with Italian daily Corriere Della Sera and revealed that his favorite tennis player growing up was Federer. He also reminisced about his first encounter with the Swiss Maestro.
"Federer, without a doubt. The first match against him I didn't even understand where I was, I was so excited. And I was at Wimbledon. It killed me, but it was wonderful," Berrettini said.
The Italian then praised Federer, saying he is not only a great player but also has the "charisma of talent and kindness."
"He's not just a great tennis player, he's a great person. He knows how to be simple, inclusive, he is of course, not artificially, open, friendly. When it passes you feel a special energy. He has the charisma of talent and kindness," Matteo Berrettini said.
"He is the only one with whom I have a relationship that goes beyond the field" - Matteo Berrettini on Lorenzo Sonego
Matteo Berrettini further stated that Lorenzo Sonego is the only tennis player he has a relationship with outside tennis. He also recalled the times when his compatriot was there for him.
"Yes, Lorenzo Sonego, he is the only one with whom I have a relationship that goes beyond the field. We are peers, we have taken the same path and we esteem each other. When he beat me sharply in Stuttgart, the day I returned to play, in the end he did not rejoice," he said.
"I was completely beside myself and he said, 'I'm sorry.' It meant, 'I'm sorry to see you like this.' Then when I won, at Wimbledon, he hugged me at the end of the match, he wanted to tell me that with me he always wanted to play like this, as an equal. That kind of sensitivity is not widespread. In tennis. But that's not all," Berrettini added.