The first were the ankles: delicate, supported by tiny calves, always protected on the field by little braces, and protagonists of one of the first injuries, a right ankle sprain in training in 2019. Then your abs started to hurt: after a two-month hiatus in February 2021, two more sagging abdominals appeared, one more serious at the Turin Finals in November and another at the Rio tournament, both in quick succession, on the statuesque body of Matteo Berrettini, 95 kilos distributed over 1.96 centimeters in height.
So he waved the white flag of the Miami retreat, which was plainly correct because bad luck does it with some accuracy when you go into it. The small operation announced on March 29 via social media from an unspecified hospital or clinic bed due to a problem with the little finger band has quite long recovery times, given that Matteo Berrettini has just announced that he will return to the field only at the end of May, at Roland Garros, skipping Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and above all the Internazionali di Roma, the tournament in his home, to devote himself to an accurate diagnosis.
“A nice string of jumping tournaments, Matteo is extremely sad but it could not have been done any differently – his coach Vincenzo Santopadre explains to the Agi – now that he is in Barcelona, he will have enough rehabilitation, it depends on how he reacts.” It’s not simple to have defined recuperation times, but he’s really dedicated and wants to move forward, so you have to be careful not to overwork them, which we will do “..
Except for certain unexpected twists and turns due to missed phases and a happy finish, it will be a setback for the Foro Italico’s Roman supporters. But what does it mean to be ranked sixth in the world? Is the string of injuries the consequence of a blunder in the preparation process, excessive chest strengthening, poor luck, or, for those who believe in macumba, macumba? Is it possible that it has something to do with the far more serious psychosomatic, and that it is partly due to the emotional-sentimental tantrums of a critical organ like the heart? If a horoscope were written for Berrettini, Aries, who turns 26 on April 12, would most likely find a transit of important stars in the health and feelings sectors.
On the one hand, there has been a series of injuries (in February 2021 the abdominals, in July 2021 the muscular resentment responsible for the Olympic forfeit, in November 2021 the second injury to the abdominals, last February the other resentment always in the abdominals, one month ago the problem in hand) On the other hand, the amorous shocks: the mysterious end of the love story with the Australian colleague Ajla Tomljanovic, never explained by either of them (if not with an eloquent cancellation by her of all the photographic finds of the ex from his Instagram profile) after a relationship that lasted from 2019 and that had also happily crossed the pandemic with him transferred to his in-laws’ home in Florida, joined for the holidays by father and mother Berrettini “As per ancient tradition, the first Christmas all together “) double between engaged couples with their respective fathers, mothers in the kitchen.
If it is true that between the two, on March 10, the ice fell and that, considering her social revenge, the tennis gossip instantly went in search of the obvious “other,” the official engagement was a little hasty. Another coworker, perhaps Anisimova and Bouchard, with whom Matteo spent a night in Miami partying? Anisimova quickly disputed it, and Berrettini, who is also the new worldwide spokesperson for Hugo Boss, remained mute, although initial speculation virtually never gets it right. The second, perhaps a little more, because this time the experts compared Instagram posts and localizations, and a stratospheric American model emerged from the intersection of the data: Meredith Mickelson, an influencer with 2.6 million followers and a new actress who is currently filming her first film in Rome, where she will be seen in a club with Matteo.
But there’s more: a recent post by Matteo, in which the tennis player describes being in Rome to relax and see his family before returning to the court, shows him on the balcony of the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi, which overlooks piazza Esedra, the same view as her Instagram story. Matteo’s hideaway? Who knows; what matters is that he is composed, even when sentimental. What is known is that in Italy, the tennis-style union does not bring much luck (ask Sinner and Maria Braccini). Above all, Berrettini must regain physical and emotional fitness in order to go back on track and retrieve what was lost due to the injury that forced him to quit. The next Finals will be held in Turin. He is now in eighth place in the “race,” but skipping three events, including Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, and losing a total of 1140 points, might force him into a race to the finish line.