Not only the Squadra Azzurra will play for a big title in London on Sunday. Matteo Berrettini is fighting for the first Wimbledon victory for an Italian.
There are moments when even the usually reticent crowd at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club loses its composure. For example, when the emotional signor Matteo Berrettini is lost on the lawn of the same.
The Italian mostly did it in six games at Wimbledon and will be allowed to do it a seventh and last time on Sunday. Because a 6: 3-6: 0-6: 7-6: 4 victory against the Polish Federer conqueror Hubert Hurkacz brought the 25-year-old the ticket for the big final, which he played on Sunday against Novak Djokovic or the Canadian Denis Shapovalov denies.
Against Hurkacz, who will improve to eleventh place in the ranking on Monday, the hot-blooded Roman native only slacked off in the third set, when the Pole played his best tennis like against Roger Federer. Again and again Berrettini scored with a huge serve (22 aces) and strong basic strokes.
Fought bravely: Hubert Hurkacz (right)
Fiorentina fan
This means that Sunday will be an Italian day. After Berrettini's final, the Squadra Azzurra will fight England for their second European title after 1968 in Wembley Stadium, about 14 kilometers away.
Berrettini will probably not miss this spectacle, after all, there are almost six hours between the first serve and the kick-off of the big football event. As an Italian, Berrettini is of course a football fan. His heart beats for Fiorentina. Although the 13th of the last season of the series with Gaetano Castrovilli only had one Tifosi player at the European Championship, and he only played a few minutes against Wales, a veteran of the Florentines has provided highlights so far: Federico Chiesa grew up at Fiorentina , also belongs to the club, but was loaned to Juventus.
Tennis nation Italy
But at least since the rise of Berrettini, who will be number eight in the world again on Monday, the football and Ferrari nation Italy has been talking about tennis again. Because in addition to Berrettini, nine Italians are placed in the top 100 of the ATP rankings, no other country has more players in this illustrious circle (Spain, France and the USA also make ten). And with Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, two 19-year-olds are in close contact with the world's best.
The women gave the initial spark: Francesca Schiavone won the French Open in 2010, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci contested the US Open final in 2015. “I was just playing a future tournament in Antalya when Roberta and Flavia reached the final of the US Open. It was a great moment for us, ”says Berrettini. Pennetta retired immediately after the triumph, and since 2016 she has been married to Fabio Fognini, another Italian top player. Son Federico was born in 2017.
Now Matteo Berrettini can make history and become the first Italian gentleman since 1976 (Adriano Panatta at the French Open) to win a Grand Slam tournament. And as the first Italian (women and men) to triumph at Wimbledon. Even the European Championship final might not matter to him.
