Matteo Berrettini has enjoyed a good 2019 season. The Italian has won 2 titles and advanced to the semifinals of the US Open in September. His performances this year gave him a chance to qualify for the ATP Finals in London. The 23-year-old secured a spot at the tournament last week after results went in his favor at the Paris Masters.
Berrettini seals the finals spot in London
Berrettini entered the Masters 1000 tournament needing a good run to ensure qualification for the finals. He faced competition from Frenchman Gael Monfils who was also in the running for an appearance at the tournament. The Italian lost in the round of 16 at Bercy which meant that qualification for London was out of his hands. Monfils proceeded to the quarterfinals and a victory over Denis Shapovalov would have given him his first appearance at the end of season tournament. However, he did not succeed as he lost to the young Canadian in straight sets. The results meant that the world No.8 sealed the final spot at the tournament.
He is not just there to play
His coach, Vincenzo Santopadre, was happy for his protégé after he qualified for the finals. Vincenzo said that Berrettini was exhausted during the Paris Masters after a semifinals run at the Vienna Open. However, he stated that his charge has had some time to rest and recharge and he will be ready for the London tournament. He believes that Berrettini deserves to be among the best players in the world. The Italian expects him to compete against Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the tournament. While he will benefit from playing against the top players in the game, Vincenzo says they could cause a few upsets. “We face some of the strongest players and we will try to give our best. He will not just be there to play.”
The finals will begin on 10th November. Berrettini will play in the same group as Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Dominic Thiem. He will compete against the Serbian in his first match. It will be the first meeting between the two players. He played against the Swiss at this year’s Wimbledon tournament. The 23-year-old lost to the 20-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets. He also has a losing record against Thiem who defeated him in the semifinals in Vienna. The two have faced each other twice in their careers with Berrettini winning once.
Matteo Berrettini’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.8 (career-high), Berrettini played his last match on the 30th of October when he had to bow to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-3 in the 2nd round in Paris.
This year Berrettini has a 46-21 win-loss record. Matteo has won 3 titles in 2019 in the Phoenix Challenger, in Budapest and in Stuttgart. Matteo was the finalist in Munich.
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Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Now ranked no.1, the Spaniard played his last match on the 2nd of November when he lost to Denis Shapovalov w/o in the semifinal in Paris.
This year Rafael has a 50-6 win-loss record. Rafael clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. Rafael was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Matteo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal played each other 1 time. The head to head is 1-0 for Nadal.
The last time that they competed against each other, Rafael Nadal won 7-66 6-4 6-1 in the semifinal in The New York on the 06th September 2019.
Here the highlights.
Matteo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
