08 July 2023 , 23:05
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Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini was emotional after upsetting the No. 19 seed, Alexander Zverev, in straight sets, as he progressed to the quarter final.
The Italian has made a bright comeback from injury after being forced to pull out of the French Open, and even miss Queens right before the start of Wimbledon. Berrettini has seen off Lorenzo Sonego, Alex de Minaur and now Zverev on his journey so far.
A tough test awaits for Berrettini, as he faces No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round, with the 20-year-old favourite to win the competition alongside Novak Djokovic. But Berrettini is just happy to be back competing, after some dark days with injury.
Berrettini suffered an abdominal injury at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, and missed multiple competitions as he made a delayed return. He managed to get back to full fitness just in time for Wimbledon, and opened up on his struggles after beating Zverev,
"I spent many days in my bed crying about not being able to play," Berrettini said after the match, when asked how it felt to be back out playing. "Five days in a row it's nothing.
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"It's sad but it's true. I missed playing I missed competing. People that are close to me, they know about it." But the ovation Berrettini has received from the Wimbledon crowd has inspired him, and he'll need encouragement against Alcaraz.
"It's so special, I found extra energy, I'm finding it every day. I'm so glad that I'm here and you guys are unbelievable so thank you for the support."
Berrettini has only dropped one set at Wimbledon so far, losing the very first set of the tournament. The Italian came back from a set down to beat Sonego in four and has seen off both De Minaur and Zverev without much trouble.
Wimbledon has been hit hard with rain so far, and it impacted Berrettini's opening match against Sonego. Despite the slippery conditions the umpire ruled that it was fine to play on, and Berrettini threatened to take legal action if his decision led to an injury.
After multiple slips during the match, Berrettini said to the umpire: "We never fell, we started to fall right now. Why do you think it's happening? OK, so if I'm going to get injured, I'm going to sue you, OK?
"I know that you want us to play, you guys are late, we are late, we want to play as well. But I mean, if we're falling every time, it's dangerous. Look what happened, he fell on set point."
After Berrettini complained in the third set, the match was finally brought to a halt in the fourth. It was then over very quickly as play resumed, with Berrettini winning the final set 6-3.