Afternoon on the pitch for the two Italians who will leave for different destinations: Jannik to Indian Wells, Matteo to Phoenix
Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner are practically neighbors, but if before the Davis Cup their relations were little more than good neighbours, the experience of Malaga, with Matteo injured but still close to the team and Jannik leading the blue group, has united us a lot and recently the Roman has admitted that Sinner’s closeness was very important in the most difficult moments.
TOGETHER ON THE CONCRETE
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In the afternoon, in Monte Carlo, Jannik and Matteo trained together on the concrete courts of the Country Club, the sea of the French Riviera in the background and some hammering. Outside, some curious people trying to follow the exchanges of the two Italians. The South Tyrolean, Slam champion in Melbourne, will leave tomorrow for California, destination Indian Wells, where he will try to overtake Carlos Alcaraz and climb to number 2 in the world ranking. For Berrettini, who will return after a six-month break and a new team led by Francisco Roig, the return is scheduled for mid-March at the Challenger 175 in Phoenix. If everything goes well, the Roman will play the Masters 1000 in Miami where he will take advantage of the protected ranking of number 74 in the world.
MUTUAL HELP
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Sinner had spoken about Berrettini immediately after the Australian Open victory, in the meeting with the press in Rome: “Matteo has always helped me and I am grateful to him – he said -. Now, if he wanted to ask me something, I would be ready to help him, because I care about him a lot. The circuit has missed a player like Matteo a lot. His support during the Davis Cup, even if away from the court, was fundamental for me.” And precisely in the Roman days, with the meeting at the Quirinale, their friendship became more solid and profound, cemented by common foundations: “Jannik is doing crazy things, we often write to each other – said the Wimbledon 2021 finalist -. The fact being more united than ever from a sporting point of view helped me, being next to him in Davis was a spring for me. I’m also trying to take something from him, from his approach. Seeing an Italian playing with me who is up there makes give me a great desire to push and get back to the top.”
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