In one of the latest episodes of his popular podcast Served with, the former American player Andy Roddick expressed his opinion on Italian stars Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini and, in general, on Italian tennis.
“Congratulations to Italy, the success is not a coincidence and it’s not just Sinner. It’s been an amazing year for Italian tennis. It’s not a coincidence that Italy won the men’s Davis Cup and the women’s BJK Cup, there’s nothing coincidental about all this,” he said.
The American legend analyzed the great strides that Italy has made in recent years in tennis.
“They have looked for ways to develop players, they have given many opportunities to players with a containment of costs for the athletes. In America, a player to participate in a Challenger maybe has to fly to Sri Lanka. Italy has made the right decisions, has made the right investments: now, Italy is at the top of world tennis, it starts with Sinner and continues with the whole movement.
There is another aspect to consider. The television ratings of Sinner’s matches are soaring, children watch him and many will choose tennis. Registrations will soar, in Italy tennis does not have to compete with 10 other sports like in the USA: tennis and soccer, registrations will soar,” explained Roddick.
The victory of the second consecutive Davis Cup in Malaga has also brought great merit to Matteo Berrettini, who has given a very important contribution both in singles and doubles. Precisely regarding the contribution of the former Wimbledon Championships finalist, Roddick shares very big praise.
“Matteo Berrettini was unable to play in the 2023 Davis Cup final. This year he won 3 matches without ever losing. In his career he won a Queen’s, reached the final at Wimbledon and covid stopped him when he would have been one of the 3-4 favorites. I expect great things from him next year, he is a phenomenal player on hard courts,” analyzed the American.
Matteo Berrettini© Instagram Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini was among the great guests of the SuperTennis Awards. The Italian, often plagued by physical problems, managed to arrive at the main event of his season in the best condition and, both in singles and doubles, he showed the fans his best version, which has not been seen often in recent times.
Berrettini provided a funny answer to the question of whether he would like to be Sinner again.
“Yes, to discover what it feels like to never make mistakes. Unlike Jannik, I sometimes lose, but I’ve always had the feeling that without fear I can’t perform well. I’m afraid of it, but I use it to go beyond my limits and find motivation,” he explained.
“It was a happy moment. A journey that began in Bologna, even by players who weren’t in Malaga, there’s the work of the whole team. In our tears there was all of this. A year ago I was here as a guest and I watched the Davis Cup with the hope of being able to lift it as a protagonist, now that dream has come true. In those days I hated my sport and I couldn’t find motivation, then I looked inside myself and I understood that it’s the thing I love the most and I hope to do it for as long as possible,” he said with great honesty.
Tennis World USA