Matteo Berrettini has praised fellow compatriot Jannik Sinner following his dominant title run at the Madrid Open. Sinner extended his control over the ATP Tour in Carlos Alcaraz's absence due to injury.
He defeated World No.3 Alexander Zverev in straight sets, completing a one-sided performance that underlined the current level of men's tennis.
Sinner became the first man in the Open Era to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles, a sequence that began at the Paris Masters last November and continued through the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open, and now Madrid.
Besides that, Sinner's performance on the court has been excellent since March. With just two sets dropped, he's currently on a 23-match winning streak. His display against Zverev in the Madrid Open final reflected his broader pattern of performance, as he controlled the match throughout.
In fact, the World No.1 led 5-0 within just 17 minutes into the match and closed the first set in just 26 minutes, dropping just one game. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Zverev unable to disrupt the Italian star's rhythm and overpowering serving technique. Sinner completed the triumph 6-1, 6-2 in just 56 minutes.
The win over Zverev was his fourth this season and his seventh consecutive victory on tour. He's now the favorite to win the Italian Open, which kicks off on Wednesday (April 6) in Rome. Speaking in an interview on Sky Sports, Berrettini admitted that he has run out of words to describe what Sinner has achieved:
From the outside, I can't even explain it. No one has ever done it in history. We're running out of words to describe what he's doing, and the apparent ease with which he does it. He's impressive, he makes us all proud. Of course, internally, within the team, there are tough moments, maybe physically or motivation-wise, maybe he even has bad days — but he's able to turn them into good days. And I think that's his greatest strength, in addition to his immense talent and the work he puts in.
While Sinner has achieved success, Berrettini is yet to find his best form this season. Having struggled with injuries over the years, he has yet to win more than three tour-level clay matches. In fact, his best run on the surface this season came at the ATP Challenger in Cagliari, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Hubert Hurkacz in three sets.
Jannik Sinner is the favorite to win the Italian Open. At this time last year, he returned to tennis after suspension at the Rome Masters and reached the final, but couldn't beat an in-form Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz is out of the tournament, which allows Sinner to dominate the event with his brilliance.
However, he has one challenger, Novak Djokovic, who marks his return from a physical problem at the event. The Italian Open is Djokovic's first tournament since the Indian Wells Open in March, where he exited in the fourth round. Djokovic didn't compete at the tournament last year, preferring to play in Geneva in the final week ahead of Roland Garros.
Sinner got a better schedule at the Rome Masters following his triumph in Madrid. He will not play his opening match until at least Friday (April 8) after receiving a first-round bye. He awaits the winner between Sebastian Ofner and Alex Michelsen in the second round of the tournament. Meanwhile, Djokovic will open his campaign at the tournament against Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier.
He's projected to face Karen Khachanov in the fourth round of the tournament. Djokovic could then face Lorenzo Musetti or Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. Djokovic was down two sets against Musetti at the Australian Open quarter-finals before the Italian star was forced to retire due to injury.
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