The Roman, on a bad day, gives in two sets to Fritz who earns the match of the second round of tomorrow against the South Tyrolean: “I could not find the mental energies”
And nothing. The long-awaited derby between the first two Italians in the world, Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, doesn’t have to be done. If the South Tyrolean is already in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells thanks to the forfeit of John Isner, who took place in the delivery room for the birth of his third child, what for the Roman should have seemed little more than a formality, turned out to be an unexpected setback. The number 7 in the world gave in two sets 6-4 6-3 to the American Taylor Fritz, number 39 of the FedEx Ranking, betrayed by his best weapons, service and forehand.
No adrenaline
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Too nervous, too foul, too little “Berrettini”, ours, which only in flashes can show its value. “It wasn’t a tennis problem – he explained after the match -, but a mental energy problem. I couldn’t get active, find the adrenaline. In the previous match I was more tense, I hadn’t played for a while, this time nothing “. Probably also the hardships of a long season, albeit full of excellent results: “Yes, it’s been a long season, it’s true but it’s not over. Now I’ll take a couple of days off, because I feel I need it and then I’ll finally be back. in Europe”. The road before the holidays is still long: “I will play Vienna and then the Masters 1000 in Paris and I hope the Finals. And finally the Davis Cup”.
The match
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First set tending to schizophrenia. With Matteo going under 5-1 undergoing a double break, he recovers with as many counterbreaks and at the end he again gives the joke to the American who closes the set in his favor 6-4. An unusually passive Matthew, with negative body language, unable to shake himself. Second partial that starts again with Taylor well loaded who keeps the service at zero. This time Berrettini does not get distracted and keeps the joke, not only that, he seems to want to get out of the torpor that envelops him from the beginning of the match and earns a break point in the third game. Twice a backhand on the net prevents him from sprinting forward, and again he finds himself with three break points offered to the opponent. Another mistake, this time straight, condemns him to the break for the 3-1 Fritz. He is slow, nervous, misses shots that are normally his bread, and so the American reaches 4-1. He must also save himself from 5-1, the Roman who manages to keep up the beat for 4-2. At 5-2, other errors with the forehand, four match points canceled to Fritz who then earns the eighth with Sinner tomorrow. For Matteo, the mathematical certainty of the Nitto Atp Finals is not yet there, even if the risks of not qualifying are minimal. For Jannik, on the other hand, the great opportunity to take further steps towards Turin.
October 12, 2021 (change October 12, 2021 | 23:14)
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