Matteo Berrettini had the opportunity to speak with Jannik Sinner after his Roland Garros exit.
Sinner suffered a shock defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, bringing an end to his dominant 30-match winning streak.
The world number one was the huge favourite to win the title in Paris this year, but Sinner was clearly feeling unwell after losing from two sets and a 5-1 lead up.
Although the Italian number one is now out of the Roland Garros draw, his compatriot Berrettini got the chance to speak to Sinner before winning his second round match.
Matteo Berrettini details conversation with Jannik Sinner after Roland Garros shock
Berrettini beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the night session match at Roland Garros, and in his post-match press conference he was asked about Sinner’s defeat.
Having won the Davis Cup together, Berrettini and Sinner have a good relationship with one another, and the former revealed the details of their short private conversation after the world number one’s shock exit from Roland Garros.
Where does Jannik Sinner’s defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo rank among the most shocking results in tennis history?
“Of course I have seen what happened to Jannik, which is really unfortunate,” said Berrettini. “The only thing I saw him before he was leaving and I told him to get back as soon as possible. He told me good luck.
“I also saw at the press conference, he was as always really focused and sure about what he was saying and what happened.
“It’s part of the sport that we do. I think what happened to him is not that rare. It has happened to a lot of players. What he has done in the last few weeks has never happened, so that is unbelievable.
“Today happened but I am sure he is going to be back on track and go again. He is a great champion. One more thing, he handled the situation in a really nice way. He did not say anything, he was just trying. I think that is also what makes him a great champion.”
Matteo Berrettini is the only former Grand Slam finalist left in the top half of Roland Garros
Following Sinner’s exit from Roland Garros, the top half of the men’s singles draw is now wide open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is the only top 10 player remaining in this half of the draw, while Berrettini remains the only player to have reached a Grand Slam final.
Berrettini reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, but this is his first appearance in the third round of a Grand Slam in nearly three years.
Despite being disappointed by what happened to Sinner, Berrettini now has the opportunity to capitalise on his compatriot’s absence as he is in the same quarter of the draw.
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Berrettini has no seeded players standing in his way of reaching the quarterfinals, with Francisco Comesana being his third round opponent.
The only six seeded players in the top half of the draw are Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien, Frances Tiafoe, Francisco Cerundolo and Brandon Nakashima.
