A new controversy seems to have gripped Italian tennis, with two players at its center. Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti are known to be good friends off the court and have represented their country together. But recent rumors suggest that the two have had a fallout and aren’t on good terms. And Berrettini’s awkward reaction to Musetti’s triumph at the Lyon Open has only increased speculation.

Berrettini defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 at the Vienna Open. After the match, he was taken aback by one of the questions during his on-court interview. The Italian was unexpectedly asked to share his thoughts about Musetti’s victory in Lyon, and his answer raised many eyebrows.

“Is this live?” Berrettini asked the interviewer. “Okay. It’s okay. I know he worked really hard to come back, and I guess he deserved it.”

While his reaction was complimentary, the moment only added fuel to the fire amid speculation of a possible fallout between the two players. The rumors of the rift began when it was alleged that Musetti was involved with Vanessa Bellini while she was in a relationship with Berrettini. While the alleged affair between Musetti and Bellini remains unverified, the rumors were enough to spark speculation about a rift between the players.

Though it isn’t confirmed whether there is tension between the two players, Berrettini recently unfollowed Musetti on Instagram, a move that fueled the rumors even more. Amid all the drama, there are possibilities that the two can meet at the Vienna Open. While Berrettini has qualified for the Round of 16, Musetti will begin his campaign with a clash against Frances Tiafoe.

Otherwise, it can also turn out to be a repeat of the Lyon Open, where both Berrettini and Musetti had very contrasting fortunes. While the former was defeated 7-6, 7-5 by Kyrian Jacquet in the Round of 32, the latter ended his four-year drought for an ATP title. He had quite an impressive campaign, defeating players like Matteo Arnaldi, Flavio Cobolli and Taylor Fritz on his way to the title.

This was a much-needed triumph for Musetti as he had won just seven matches since the start of the hard-court season. He came into the tournament after suffering a 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 defeat in the Round of 64 against Zhou Yi at the Shanghai Masters. So, there weren’t many expectations around him in Lyon. But he turned the tables by giving some stunning performances. His best display arguably came in the final, where he defeated Fritz comprehensively by 6-3, 6-4.

This title victory proved to be quite beneficial for Musetti as he surprisingly received a call-up to the Italian team for the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna. However, Berrettini was left out despite being an important member of the team in their last two title runs.

Lorenzo Musetti gets chosen over Matteo Berrettini for Italy’s Davis Cup squad

Italy’s team captain Filippo Volandri has named Musetti, Cobolli and Luciano Darderi for singles. He has also chosen Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli for doubles. The announcement was made just hours after Berrettini defeated Etcheverry at the Vienna Open.

Explaining his squad selection for the Davis Cup Finals 8, Volandri remarked that he prioritized the current rankings of the players and formed the team according to them.

“As usual, these call-ups take into account current ranking positions,” he said, speaking to the website of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP). “The next few weeks before the new Davis Cup adventure will be decisive for me.”

Berrettini’s ranking of No. 48 is inferior to the players who have been chosen in the Italian team. The highest ranked player in the team is Cobolli, who currently stands at the sixth position. While Berrettini didn’t make the cut, Volandri did give him a shout-out while reflecting on the Italian team’s triumph in the previous two editions.

“We know we have a very strong team, because we can count on a large group of players. In addition to those who were called up, we also have Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, and Lorenzo Sonego, who were key contributors in previous editions,” he added.

With the Davis Cup being out of the picture, Berrettini will now be focused on performing well at the Vienna Open. His next match could be quite a tricky one as he will be taking on the winner of the match between Cobolli and Grigor Dimitrov.