‘It Was Nothing Crazy’ – Matteo Berrettini on How Crowd Helped Him to Perform Better During Semifinal Clash Against Rafael Nadal at Australian Open 2022

Matteo Berrettini recently played down his relationship with the crowd during his 2022 Australian Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal. The Italian opened up on how the crowd was disrespecting both the players and how it helped him during the match. 

Berrettini made history by becoming the first Italian to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. He downplayed known players like Carlos Alcaraz, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Gael Monfils before finally being halted by Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.

Following his Australian Open loss, Matteo last played at the ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro Open, where he suffered a second-round defeat to 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

Berrettini downplays the crowd during his semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal

Soon after his semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal, Berretiini spoke to fashion magazine GQ. While speaking to the magazine, Berrettini opened up on the crowd during his semi-final clash. The Italian World No. 6. He alleged the crowd of disrespecting the players saying, “There were some people that were disrespecting both players because they were talking between the first and second serve.”

However, instead of seeing the negativity, he sort the positive view towards it as he claimed, “It was nothing crazy.” 

The 2021 Wimbledon champion elaborated on how the crowd distraction helped him perform better in the game. “It was just something that I used to get more pumped, you know? I think that helps you out when you’re in the arena.”

The 25-year-old ended his view by opening up on a warm demand he made to the crowd post the match and how they responded to it. “At the end I just said, ‘I want to hear how much you scream for me’ and they actually did so that was really nice.”

The historic run of Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open

After winning just one of the three matches in the ATP Cup, Matteo Berrettini entered the Australian Open as the 7th seed. He started his Melbourne Park campaign with a first-round win against American, Brandon Nakashima. 

Also read- ‘It’s Water Everywhere’- Rafael Nadal Narrates Odd Incident with His Shoes After Acapulco Win

He next faced another Wildcard entrant Stefan Kozlov, beating him in four sets. Berrettini moved past the first two opponents with a decent opponent. However, he was put to test during his third-round match where he faced Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz. A show of class by both the players, Matteo came out to be victorious in five sets.

In the fourth round, he faced another Spaniard, Pablo Carreno Busta. However, unlike the previous round, Berrettini went over the Busta storm in straight sets.

Passing the initial rounds, Berrettini became the first Italian to reach the quarter-finals of all the four Grand Slams. In the quarter-finals, he faced the much moved Frenchman Gael Monfils. Matteo won the first two sets. Even though Monfils made a strong comeback, winning the next two sets. However, it was Matteo who struck early in the fifth, winning the match in four sets.

In the semi-finals, he faced Rafael Nadal. Being on top of his form, Rafa showed no mercy as he cruised past the Italian to win in four sets. Rafael Nadal went on to win the tournament, becoming the first man to reach 21 Grand Slams. 

Watch this story- How Much Serena Williams Earned Through Tennis?