WATCH: Matteo Berrettini produces heartwarming Shanghai Masters moment; adorably interacts with seemingly unimpressed 7-year-old mascot
Matteo Berrettini had a heartwarming interaction with a seven-year-old girl mascot before stepping out on to the court to face Holger Rune at the 2024 Shanghai Masters. Berrettini compared his and the mascot's respective ages and told her that she was "lucky" to be living her childhood.
The Italian squared off against Holger Rune on Tuesday, October 7, in a second-round match at the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 tournament. While he won the first set 6-4 and fired 16 aces throughout the match, the World No. 14 clinched the next two sets 6-4, 6-3 to book his place in the third round.
Matteo Berrettini's performance against Holger Rune, particularly in the second and third sets, left a lot to be desired. However, he had a cute moment with a seven-year-old girl, who was a mascot, before the match. The Italian first asked the mascot how she was doing, later telling the seven-year-old that he was 28. The former World No. 6 concluded the interaction by calling the youngster "lucky".
Watch the heartwarming moment unfold below:
Despite his early exit from the Shanghai Masters, Matteo Berrettini seems to be growing in confidence after returning to action this year after an injury-ravaged 2023.
Matteo Berrettini is a top 50 player again; Italian was ranked at a lowly World No. 154 in March this season
In 2021, Matteo Berrettini marked the biggest achievement of his career so far by reaching the final of the Wimbledon Championships. Even though he ultimately lost the match to Novak Djokovic, the Italian massively gained in confidence from his SW19 campaign and went from strength to strength from there.
His run to the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open saw him reach his career-high ranking of World No. 6. Form, injury struggles, and a drastic ranking decline marred his 2023 campaign. However, since returning to action at the 2024 Arizona Tennis Classic, he has been gradually getting back to his best.
From a lowly World No. 154 in March this year, the 28-year-old has broken back into the top 50 and now finds himself ranked at World No. 44. Berrettini has also won three ATP Tour-level titles this season; the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh, the Swiss Open in Gstaad, and the Generali Open Kitzbuhel. As things stand, the Italian has a 27-9 win-loss record this season