Carlos Alcaraz faces the Italian Matteo Berrettini this Monday in London (approximately 7:00 p.m.) a game that can mark the rest of the season for him. If he wins it he will sneak into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time and unleash the illusion. There are those who already dream of a hypothetical final this coming Sunday between the Murcian and Novak Djokovic. “I am the first to dream of it,” confesses Alcaraz, increasingly adapted to grass. If he does not overcome this obstacle, yes, it would be a very hard moral blow for him and his entire team, which already sees him in a position to fight for the title at the All England Club. After what happened in the Roland Garros semifinal against Djokovic, Carlitos needs positive reinforcement in an event of the magnitude of Wimbledon.
What happens is that Matteo Berrettini, who became number 6 in the world, is going to be a very tough nut to crack. Definitely. The 27-year-old Roman is an atypical player, one of those who are rare on the circuit. He displays great power with his forehand and has a prodigious wrist that allows him to give impossible effects to blows with his backhand, and he is also a tennis player who moves with great agility on the court, taking into account his large wingspan (1.96 Tall). Reviewing his data in recent seasons, in which he has established himself among the elite of this sport, it is striking that of the seven titles he has won in his career, none of them have been on hard courts, the predominant surface in the circuit. He has won four tournaments on grass and three on clay.
In addition, his two great results in important tournaments, such as the Wimbledon final and the Masters 1000 in Madrid, have also taken place far from this context. Thus, looking at the percentages of victories achieved depending on the type of court on which it is played, it is remarkable to verify that it is on hard courts where Berrettini has the worst performance. On grass, however, she elevates his performance-
a born fighter
What the Roman has always been very good at is defending his serve after being at a disadvantage before reaching 40/40. In fact, Berrettini was in 2021 the only player in the first three positions of the six possible scenarios with the serve in favor. Data collection was based on situations of 0/15, 0/30, 0/40, 15/30, 15/40 and 30/40. And there Berrettini led the circuit in three of the six service categories and closed 2021 in fourth position in service games won (89.6%).
“I’m the player that people expect to get good results and maybe I can win the tournament. I also dream of reaching the final.”
Carlos Alcaraz
world number 1
Then the injuries came and his career began to get seriously complicated. “A few days before coming here I thought he wasn’t ready to play Wimbledon,” Berrettini acknowledged after knocking Zverev down last Saturday in his best match in many months. «If they told me a few weeks ago that he was going to play five days in a row at Wimbledon, I would have signed it with my blood. I spent days in bed thinking about the tournaments I missed, the injuries I had and the sadness I felt. I came to lose the taste for tennis. I couldn’t find the time to come back,” added the Italian, for whom jumping onto the track today to face the number 1 in the world “is already a victory.” Different mishaps in the abdominal have had him stopped for two years.
The Melbourne precedent
In the history of confrontations Alcaraz (2-1) dominates. The Murcian prevailed in Vienna in 2021 by 6-1, 6-7 (2) and 7-6 (5) and in Rio de Janeiro 2022 by 6-2, 2-6 and 6-2, but for the Italian it was the only victory in a Grand Slam, at the 2022 Australian Open, and with another duel on the limit: 6-2, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 2-6 and 7-6 (5). Both are the champions of the last two editions of the Queen’s tournament. The Italian was crowned there in 2022 and the Murcian, a few weeks ago.
«Carlos is the best player in the world. I remember seeing him on TV at Roland Garros and now I’m going to play against him. That will help me find extra energy.”
Matteo Berrettini
Finalist at Wimbledon 2021
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«Playing against Carlos is always a pleasure, a great battle. We always give our best. He is number 1 so he is the best player in the world. It’s a big challenge, but I’m happy to have this opportunity now. I remember watching him play at Roland Garros on TV and now I’m going to play against him. I think so, that will help me find that extra energy, “says Berrettini.
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