Matteo Berrettini on learning to make peace with his body
The Italian reflects on chronic injuries, working with a psychologist, and why some setbacks are harder to process than others.
Matteo Berrettini had just beaten Arthur Fils to reach the third round of Wimbledon when he offered two observations that summed up the past four years of his career.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played here,” he said of Centre Court.
Then, referring to both his run to the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros and moving on at Wimbledon, he added:
“It’s been a while since I played so many matches in a Slam.”
Since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2021, Berrettini’s career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries, retirements, withdrawals and the exhausting process of rebuilding. This season alone has encapsulated that cycle. A recurring abdominal injury forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open after what he described as one of his strongest preseasons in years. A few months later, he produced his deepest Grand Slam run in nearly four years at Roland-Garros before another injury forced him to retire in the quarterfinals.
When we spoke earlier this week, I wanted to understand what years of that cycle had done to him psychologically. I was struck by the way he spoke about his body—not with resignation or frustration, but rather acceptance.
“The first thing that really helped me was realizing that I am just like this,” he told me. “I started getting injured when I was 12, so it’s always been part of my career.”
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