The sport of tennis is set for a defining season in 2020. With the top three players in the world over the past 15 years – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer – entering the twilight of their careers, new players have emerged as genuine threats to their supremacy.
In this eight-part series, we’ll assess each player in the top eight and what they can achieve in 2020. We’ll look at how their positions are under threat and what they can do to attain their goals in the season to come. It’s never easy to look forward, but with our 2020 vision, you’ll have the benefit of hindsight when you’re talking tennis during the next 12 months.
We continue our series with a look at the 8th best player in the world at the start of season, Italian player Matteo Berrettini. Having sneaked onto the ATP Finals list at the end of 2019, the eight-best player didn’t threaten the final, but he has proven his pedigree over the 2019 season. Can he strike it big in 2020?
Berrettini’s highlights reel from his play in Rome last season suggest that he has a chance:
What’s in his locker?
Berrettini has a powerful serve, frequently bombing down aces at speeds of up to 230kmh. But he’s far from a one trick pony, or, as it’s known in tennis terms, a Richard Krajicek. Berrettini is an all-court player with powerful forehands and clearly idolises Roger Federer.
At Wimbledon in 2018, Berrettini was beaten by the Swiss before politely asking him at the net how much he owed him for the tennis lesson he’d just received.
Berrettini’s personality – as demonstrated in SW19 – is another key part of his make-up, and his ability to pin players back with the power and spin of his forehand drives across the court is a huge part of his game.
His Grand Slam record
Berrettini’s Grand Slam record suggests an ability to progress at lightning speed. The Italian reached the 3rd round at the French Open in his first year in the main draw in 2018. In other slams, however, he either finished in the 2st round (Australian Open and U.S. Open) or the 2nd Round at Wimbledon.
In 2019, however, it was a very different story. Berrettini again reached the 1st Round at the Australian Open, but only the 2nd round at the French, a regression on the previous year. At Wimbledon 2019, Berrettini got to the 4th Round, and then, in the U.S. Open he reached the semi-final, only losing to the eventual winner, Rafael Nadal.
Where are his weaknesses?
Berrettini has so many strengths that his weaknesses are a source of more frustration than in others purely because they impact more on the outcomes of his matches. His erratic nature and inconsistency between clean winners and unforced errors is pronounced. Taming that reckless swinging between the two is what will define his 2020 season.
Berrettini needs to believe in his greatness a little more. When he defeated Dominic Thiem 7-6(7-3), 6-3 at the ATP Finals he became the first-ever Italian to win a singles match at the season-ending event. But Berrettini is capable of breaking the duck of Italian tennis players. He just needs to know how good he is and keep producing it on a consistent basis.
The verdict
Making the top eight in the world is a huge achievement, but the Italian sensation will be hopeful of running deep in other Grand Slams than the U.S. Open in 2020.
Berrettini’s consistency is key, but we think he could be a very dangerous ‘wildcard’ in the pack this season, possibly making his first final.
Slams to win: None, but a year of pushing his edge and potentially a Grand Slam final appearance, which could pave the way for Slams in 2021.
