The Italian after the match he won against Comesana which sent him to the round of 16: “The best thing is that I doubted myself a little too much in the last few months and years. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to get back to my level, that I wouldn’t be able to compete in this way again”
The longest match of his career, 5 hours and 13 minutes, brings Matteo Berrettini into the second week of Roland Garros after five years. And it was precisely the emotion of being back playing in Paris, a tournament he had been missing since 2021, that ultimately made the difference: “I was thrilled by the fact that I hadn’t played here for five years, and I wanted to enjoy another match. When the match is so tight it’s a question of nerves, even a bit of luck can help. I’m happy with how I finished the match, I fought on every point.”
beastly physique
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But it wasn’t just a question of nerves, it also required a beastly physique: “Feeling like this running for five hours in the sun and catching balls is normal for nerves to have an effect. Every player when the match gets tough. I missed a forehand at 12-12, I just wanted to build the point, and I missed because I was nervous, and it makes the difference. After I returned to playing at the end of last summer I went back to thinking I could play at a certain level. Many times the body was there but not the mind or vice versa, it takes time. I currently feel good, physically too. I trust my body again, and all the matches I’ve played this year have helped me get here with confidence.” And now he can enjoy the moment: “The best thing is that I doubted myself a little too much in the last months and years. And I had incredible support, everyone still believed in me. I thought that I couldn’t get back to my level, that I couldn’t compete like this again. I got emotional realizing that I’m still capable of it, that I can still win these matches.” Now, among those who are still in the running, Matteo probably has the best mental stability: “In the past it would have happened that in a match like this I would have started to suffer from my mistakes, also because I remember everything. On the one hand it’s experience, on the other even if you’re making a great effort you don’t see it. I’m playing at a very high level, every match on tour is a furious fight, we see it here too with so many of the seeded teams lost. Comesana played a crazy match, he must have made mistakes three times. Today I didn’t think about this, and maybe that’s why I won.”
enqvist
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And with him coach Enqvist can also enjoy, a choice that is paying off: “People had doubts about myself when I was 12 years old, that I weighed too little, I had the worst physical tests in Tirrenia ever. I’m used to it. Inside myself it was more complicated to manage. But I’ve always believed in my tennis, maybe not in my body, at times. What Enqvist did was give me the confidence that I was missing. Every day he says that I’m among the strongest in the world, for the quality of the ball, because when I’m well I’m a strong player. Then there’s the icing on the cake of my brother.”
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