Berrettini Provides Inspiring Advice For Junior Players

The Brisbane United Cup press conference room was a classroom on Tuesday, and Italian Matteo Berrettini was the professor.

A group of 14 local Australian junior players sat in on Team Italy’s press conference following the country’s tie victory against Norway. When asked what advice the World No. 16 Berrettini would give them, the 26-year-old went into deep thought.

“I think I was really lucky because I met this guy when I was 14,” Berrettini said of his coach and Team Italy captain Vincenzo Santopadre. “I’m always joking around, but, I mean, I have to thank him. I never thank him enough for what we did together.”

Berrettini explained that what he has learned over the years is the importance of enjoying what he is doing as a professional tennis player, through the highs and the lows.

“Obviously it gets tougher and tougher. At the beginning everything is new, so you play the first Slam, you play the first big tournament, then the pressure is coming,” Berrettini said. “You learn as a person, you learn as a player, and you try to kind of learn from what is happening. I’m going to stop talking now.”

But the Italian was not done. He saved perhaps the most valuable lesson for last.

“I think the most important thing for me at least was I always say that every day I put a brick in my wall so I feel like even when I’m losing, doesn’t matter, I feel I have to learn something from what happened,” Berrettini said. “I think that’s the advice I’m going to tell them. So even the worst days, feel that something good happened and take that good and try to improve.”

The floor was opened to questions from the junior players and one 15-year-old volunteered to ask Berrettini one.

“Matteo, regarding the pressure, is there something you do to take down the pressure?” the junior asked. “Is there a routine or something you do before the match to take the pressure down?”

“That’s a great question, actually. The pressure never goes away. Doesn’t matter if you’re Grand Slam champion, which I’m not, or a Top-10 player. It’s always there,” Berrettini said. “Yesterday night I was talking to my coach. I felt a lot of pressure, not just for this match but for the season. The season is starting. Last year was a tough year. It’s always there.

“Like I said, it’s learning from who you are. From the stuff you’re doing, you try to learn yourself in a way.”