Matteo Berrettini is still staying in Boca Raton (Florida), where he spent the lockdown period with his girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic.
The 2019 US Open semifinalist talked to the Italian Sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport about his injury problem, the lockdown and his plans for the next weeks.
“Italy suffered a lot from the coronavirus crisis. I have always been in touch with my family and I know how hard this situation was. We cannot give up. We have to move on and stay united. This is the key to restart”, said Berrettini.
The world number 8 has not decided yet when he will return to Italy.
“I have not planned the date, when I will be back to Italy. We have some options, but we are still waiting before taking a definitive decision”, said Berrettini.
Berrettini said that the ankle injury, that affected the first part of the 2020 season, are now healed. The Italian player, who turned 24 last April, has not decided whether he will take part at the Italian tennis Championships in Todi on 21 June.
“My priority is to keep fit and continue training. During my stay in Florida I trained with Frances Tiafoe. I have been helped by Paolo Volpicelli, who is a good friend of my coach Vincenzo Santopadre”.
Berrettini has been plagued by injury problems since the start of his career.
“As I was younger, I was frequently injured. Once a shoulder injury was healed, I picked other problems on my wrist, on my ankle and on my back. I am living with my injuries”.
Berrettini also talked about the recent news that Fabio Fognini underwent ankle surgery.
“I knew that Fabio was suffering from an ankle problem. He has more kilometres on his legs than me. He was still undecided, but he chose the right moment to undergo surgery. I wish him all the best for a quick recovery. He has not had many injuries and we are looking forward to seeing him back on court”.
Berrettini spent the past three months with his girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic.
“It was nice to spend a lot of time with Ajla. We were not used to this situation, because we met only occasionally. It was not always easy, but it was very positive. We have trained together. We have a different mentality. I am more relaxed. She has a more serious approach. When I joked too much, Alja got angry. This experience has made us grow”.
Berrettini was asked about the return of the ATP Tour.
“A decision on the US Open will be taken in mid-June. This will probably determine the future on the other ATP tournaments. It would be nice to play at the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome. It’s the home tournament for me and I am very fond of this event”.
