Matteo Berrettini talks 'fashion icon' Jannik Sinner: "He really is so natural"

On Wednesday, the face of Hugo Boss will clash with the House of Gucci’s global ambassador in London. No, this isn’t about Fashion Week drama: We’re talking about Wimbledon, where Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner are set to face off in the second round.

While previewing their highly anticipated match, Berrettini opened up about their shared love for menswear, and shared his thoughts on Sinner’s personal style and rise to the top—both in the ATP rankings and the world of luxury fashion.

“I think everybody has a different style,” Berrettini said during a post-match press conference. “Definitely we are different personalities. Not good or bad; just different.”

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While the former world No. 6 had plenty of praise for his countryman’s laid-back approach to fashion, he hilariously revealed that Sinner is so laid-back, in fact, that he mostly “goes with the flow” of whatever he’s been styled in.

“He's so funny because all the time he says, ‘They're telling me what to wear, and I wear it,’” Berrettini said. “I think that's his strength. He really is so natural.

“You can see that he doesn't really—not that he doesn't care, but he goes with the flow. I think that's his main strength in this thing.”

The fashion world certainly seems to agree, being quick to embrace Sinner amid his rise to world No. 1 and first Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open.

Gucci recently feted the 22-year-old with a star-studded dinner in London, with Salma Hayek, Ryan Gosling and Joe Alwyn among the A-listers who toasted Sinner at Mount Street Restaurant before The Championships.

“A nice evening with @gucci,” Sinner wrote on Instagram. “Thank you everyone for coming.”

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Hosted by Sabato De Sarno, creative director of the fashion house since 2023, that dinner also marked nearly a year since Sinner and Gucci went viral when the player first walked onto court with the Italian brand’s luxury bag. They famously needed permission from the ITF, ATP and the All England Club to take it into Centre Court, and the sartorial power move has since inspired the brand’s “Gucci is a feeling” campaign.

While Sinner’s involvement in the world of fashion is still nascent, having signed with Gucci in 2022 and still developing his personal style, Berrettini himself has been entrenched for years. The 28-year-old told press that it’s been a form of escape from the daily grind of tennis, and one that’s allowed him to “(meet) so many people” and enjoy unique experiences.

“Honestly, I enjoyed it since I got in a little bit. I think it's something different,” Berrettini said. “Sometimes just playing, playing, playing is not boring, but it's nice to do other stuff and other things. That's how I see it, and that's how I go about it…

“With BOSS it was always, obviously they have an idea, but I always felt and I had the power of saying, ‘Oh, I like this, I don't like this.’ I think that's the beauty of it.

“That's really cool because you have to be comfortable. You have to feel comfortable. But then you have to also like your clothes yourself and whatever you do with it.”

Read More: After some worries at Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner did what No. 1s do: Play better

One of the potential popcorn clashes eyed by tennis fans when the draw first came out, it will be Berrettini and Sinner second career meeting, with the latter having claimed victory last year in Toronto on hard courts.

Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up and a recent finalist in Stuttgart, needed four sets to see off Marton Fuscovics in the opening round on Monday and fired 11 aces to record a 7-6 (3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win. Top seed Sinner, who claimed his first grass-court trophy in Halle, similarly dispatched Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to advance.

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