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MATTEO BERRETTINI Wimbledon 2021
ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News, Wimbledon

Matteo Berrettini: ‘I didn’t care about the level. I just cared about the win’


Matteo Berrettini said he is feeling “ready” and “confident” ahead of his Wimbledon semi-final clash with Hubert Hurkacz on Friday. 

The seventh seed defeated 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals on No. 1 Court on Wednesday.

The Italian will be playing in his second Grand Slam semi-final after reaching the same stage at the 2019 US Open, while it will be a first for Hurkacz – who downed Roger Federer in straight sets.

World No. 18 Hurkacz won the pair’s only previous tour level meeting in Miami in 2019, though Berrettini beat the Pole in qualifying for the 2018 Australian Open.

“Everything is crazy right now. Thanks to Felix, I think we made a great match and I hope you guys enjoyed it,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview.

“He’s probably one of my best friends on tour, so it’s never easy to play against him. But that’s sport and I’m really happy. I think we know each other pretty well.

“We played just once in a tournament on grass two years ago [Stuttgart], but for sure he improved, I improved. Today was really tricky. It’s always special to play on such a nice court, so it was really difficult. Good luck to him, but now I’m happy for myself.

“Hubert is having a great season. He won Miami, he is playing good. Beating Federer in three sets means that he’s playing well. But I feel ready, I’m feeling confident. Good luck to him, and let’s see.

“I’m really trying to win every match that I play. Every match is different, so it depends on the opponent. I think Felix today was playing for some parts of the match better than me. But I was just there, I asked myself to be tough and I didn’t care about the level. I just cared about the win.”


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.