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Berrettini: 'I Will Learn From Rafa Defeat'

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2022

Grand Slam defeats are always tough to take, but Matteo Berrettini is already preparing for next time.

The Italian World No. 7 threatened a comeback in his Australian Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal on Friday, but the Spaniard rode out the storm to complete a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win on Rod Laver Arena. While disappointed with how the match went, Berrettini has picked up some key lessons for the future.

“It was the first time that I played under the roof,” said Berrettini in his post-match press conference. “It was different conditions. I struggled. At the beginning I couldn’t really find the rhythm. It took me a while to adapt, but at the same time Rafa was playing really well.

“I learned that you have to be ready any time. It’s a sport that you have to be able to adapt to everything that is happening. Today he was just way better than me.”

With 20 Grand Slam titles under his belt, Nadal is an obvious role model for Berrettini in his pursuit for further success. “Just look at the numbers,” said 2021 Wimbledon finalist Berrettini. “I don’t know how many semi-finals Rafa has played, but I know that he has more experience in this.

“We chatted a little bit in the locker room. He told me that it was a great run, and I told him again, bravo. It’s just really nice for me to talk to him and have this kind of conversation, because I’m still learning from him, and it’s good.”

Berrettini was satisfied with his performances over the Australian swing despite the semi-final disappointment. Having never previously been past the fourth round in Melbourne, the 25-year-old will focus on the way he fought back in the second half of the semi-final as he tries to reach new levels in 2022.

“I don’t think I have to say anything about my tennis in the third and the fourth [sets],” said Berrettini. “I think it was a really good fight. I was playing good tennis and he was playing good tennis. I think it was fun to watch, I was having fun playing it.

“The first two sets weren’t what I expected, what I wanted from myself. I wouldn’t say I was flat, but I wasn’t in the right mood, in the right mental mindset, for many reasons. I think for the first time I’m in the semi-finals, against Rafa, it was good that I had a really good reaction. This is the thing that I’m most proud and happy about.”

Having only been beaten by either Nadal or World No. 1 Novak Djokovic over the past four Grand Slams, Berrettini feels he has the game to go toe-to-toe with the greats.

“I know that my level is getting higher and higher,” said Berrettini. “I think here for the third and the fourth [sets], my tennis level was really high. I’m not saying that he was struggling, but he had to play his best tennis to be with me, and this is what the great champions do normally. When you’re stepping up the level, they are there with you.

“I think it’s time for me to play these kind of matches as much as possible, to learn from these matches, and next time I want to be ready for them.”

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Nadal On Reaching Australian Open Final: 'It's Completely Unexpected'

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2022

Following his semi-final victory over Matteo Berrettini Friday at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal revealed he is loving the opportunity of competing again at the highest level after he missed the second half of the 2021 season due to a foot injury.

The Spaniard, who captured his 89th tour-level title at the Melbourne Summer Set earlier this month, will aim to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam trophy on Sunday.

“It’s amazing, and I’m super happy to be able to compete for the past three weeks at the level that I am doing,” Nadal said in his post-match press conference. “It’s surprising for me to be able to play at the level that I am playing. Just competing and playing tennis at this high level again, facing the most important players of the world, it’s unbelievable.

“For me, it’s something completely unexpected, so I am super happy. I always try my best. My goal now is to win. [But] I am taking things in a little bit of a different way now. Of course, with the competitive spirit that I have, I can’t go against that. It’s my personal DNA. But in some ways, [just to] be able to have the chance to compete at this level, it’s positive energy for me to keep going, because being very honest, for me it is much more important to have the chance to play tennis than win number 21.”

Prior to January, the World No. 5 had not played at a tour-level event since August in Washington due to a foot injury. The 35-year-old was forced to miss the US Open and Nitto ATP Finals as a result and admitted he did not know if he was ever going to be able to compete at a major again.

However, while doubts remain, the sixth seed’s run to the final in Melbourne is the reward for the hard work he and his team have put in to ensure he returned to full fitness.

“Doubts are still here,” Nadal said. “Honestly the doubts are going to be here probably for the rest of my career, without a doubt, because I have what I have and that’s something that we cannot fix.

“Sometimes I went onto court and I was able to practise for only 20 minutes, sometimes 45, sometimes zero, sometimes two hours. But it has been very, very rough in terms of imagining myself playing best-of-five. So, [I am] super happy. It is true that I worked hard for a long time every single day in terms of when I was not able to play tennis I was working hard at the gym. I worked properly, and I kept a positive attitude to give myself a chance to be back.”

Nadal is currently level with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on 20 major titles. The former World No. 1 lifted the trophy at Melbourne Park in 2009 and has also reached the final on four other occasions (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019).

The Spaniard reiterated that while it will be special to move to 21 Grand Slam crowns, he is just focused on the chance of playing in the final in Melbourne again.

“Yeah, I’m happy that I am going to have a chance [to win a record-breaking 21st slam title]. I just feel happy to be part of this amazing era of tennis, sharing all these things with another two players. But for me, it’s about more than all these statistics. It is about being in the final of the Australian Open one more time. That means a lot to me.”

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Nadal Reaches AO Final, Verge Of Grand Slam History

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2022

It’s been a long, sometimes painful road, but Rafael Nadal stays on course for Grand Slam title number 21.

The Spaniard is one match away from becoming the greatest major champion in history after defeating Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Friday to reach the Australian Open final.

An emotional Nadal was keen to put things into perspective after the win, reflecting on his journey to yet another Grand Slam championship match after struggling with a foot injury for the second half of the 2021 season.

“A month and a half ago I didn’t know if I would be able to play tennis,” the Spaniard said in his post-match on-court interview. “So it doesn’t matter, I just wanted to enjoy it and try my best.”

Nadal beat Berrettini in straight-sets in the 2019 US Open semi-finals, their only previous meeting. The Spaniard would have been happy with something similar on Rod Laver Arena, having admitted he felt ‘completely destroyed’ after his brutal five-set quarter-final encounter with Denis Shapovalov.

Meanwhile Berrettini’s quarter-final win over Gael Monfils made him the first Italian man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, but he is still seeking his first win over a Top 10 player at a Grand Slam.

Nadal raced into a two-set lead early, frequently taking up a position inside the baseline during longer rallies to pin his opponent deep in the court with a barrage of topspin forehands to the Berrettini backhand.

The tactic earned Nadal early breaks in sets one and two, the World No. 7 getting few opportunities to gain any sort of foothold in his third major semi-final.

Berrettini was finally able to settle into some sort of rhythm, at one point winning 23 consecutive points on serve as he struck back to force a fourth set. Nadal stayed solid to seal victory, however, avoiding a similar ordeal to his clash with Shapovalov. It was the 500th hard-court match win of Nadal’s career as he offered up just two break points in the match and made just 19 unforced errors across the four sets.

“I started the match playing great,” said Nadal. “The first two sets were two of the best for a long time. I know how good Matteo is, he’s a very solid player, very dangerous. In the third I knew at some point he was going to go for his shots. We needed to suffer, we needed to fight, we fought again and that’s the only way to be where I am today. It means a lot to me to be in the final again here.”

As well as becoming the first man to 21 Grand Slam titles, lifting the trophy in Melbourne would make Nadal the second man (after World No. 1 Novak Djokovic) in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slams twice. Nadal was keen to treat Sunday’s match as he would any other major final, however.

“For me it’s all about the Australian Open, more than anything else,” said Nadal. “It’s just an amazing event. I feel very lucky that I won once [here] in my career, 2009, but I never thought about another chance in 2022, so I’ll just try to enjoy the victory today and then after tomorrow I’ll prepare my best.”

Standing between Nadal and his historic achievement will be the winner of the other semi-final between second seed Daniil Medvedev and fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nadal has positive ATP Head2Head records against both, leading Russian World No. 2 Medvedev 3-1 and Greek World No. 4 Tsitsipas 7-2.

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The Tour – Food Court: Kyrgios On Love For Sushi & His Cooking Skills

  • Posted: Jan 27, 2022

Sushi with a little romance on the side? Nick Kyrgios dishes on his pre-match meal, why he doesn’t’ eat before matches and what he’s throwing on the grill if he invited you around for dinner…

Go-to meal the night before a match?
Sushi is a good one for me; you get some carbohydrates with the rice, and you can monitor what you’ve had pretty easily. I like sushi because it’s kind of like an event: You go with your friends, your girlfriend or your partner, and it comes out on cute little plates, in cute little pieces, soy sauce, couple of giggles here or there. It’s romantic, so… sushi.

You’re having friends or family around for dinner, what are you cooking for them?
I’m a big fan of stir-fry noodles, they’re like my staple diet. I would probably buy some fresh Atlantic salmon and cut it into slices, maybe for some sashimi or chuck it on the grill. I can also make some good salads, so I’d chop up a couple of salads, mix it in, olive oil, lemon, all that type of stuff.

How do you rate your skills in the kitchen?
I’m actually pretty good, I’m pretty good in the kitchen. I’m a hubby, you know what I mean? I can whip up some good meals.

How long before a match would you eat?
If I’m playing in the afternoon or morning, I won’t eat before I play, I’ll just have a coffee and get out there. I don’t eat too much, and on match days I don’t eat much at all.

Your brother Christos is a pretty fit guy. Does he help you with your diet?
He’s definitely very helpful and supportive with my diet. Very good cook; he can cook an amazing amount of food and very good quality. But I feel in general I’m actually pretty good. I don’t eat meat and try not to eat dairy at all, so my diet in general is actually something I take pride in, I feel like I eat pretty good. My brother’s a meat-eater, I’m not.

Is there anything you eat on the court during a match?
Yes, I eat a lot of bananas.

Grigor [Dimitrov] said he hates bananas…
Yeah, I know, but it’s the one thing you can get quick energy from. It doesn’t taste too bad, but Grigor… if I had that rig, I would not be wearing a shirt often, I’ll tell you that much.

If you go to a restaurant, what are you ordering? Any restaurant.
I like a good piece of salmon, cooked medium-rare, maybe some asparagus on the side, just a nice clean meal. And I love oysters, oysters are like my thing. Fun fact for you, oysters are an aphrodisiac, so… it’s where it starts.

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