Matteo Berrettini wills his way into Wimbledon—and then through a three-day match

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LONDON—The good friends that they are, Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego didn’t need a chair umpire for their protracted first-round encounter at Wimbledon.

The Italian duo could easily call the lines themselves and just summon Hawk-Eye when required.

Indeed, they probably both wanted the chair umpire gone after being told to stay on court despite several slips on the slick grass deep in Wednesday’s pivotal third set.

To be fair to the man directing the traffic, Jimmy Pinoargote, he lacked the authority to halt proceedings by himself.

But once Sonego took another spill—a nasty one—early into set four, the affair was suspended at roughly 8:30 p.m., even as other matches continued.

When they returned on Court 12 on Thursday afternoon, Berrettini won the lone set he required to advance, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (7), 6-3.

It’s tough to play one match in three days. Three different conditions, three different matches. He played very well yesterday and today. I think it was different on the first day. But the weather was shit. Lorenzo Sonego

His first win at SW19 since making the 2021 final took him three days thanks to Tuesday’s near washout and the ensuing backlog Wednesday. The stoppages, however, proved to be a blessing for the oft-injured 27-year-old from Rome.

“In a way, it was perfect because I played one set, two sets, then one set,” Berrettini, recounting the sequence over the three days, said in the main interview room. “I didn't stress my body too much.”

Sonego, conversely, felt the opposite.

“It’s tough to play one match in three days,” the Torinese told a group of reporters. “Three different conditions, three different matches. He played very well yesterday and today. I think it was different on the first day.

“But the weather was shit.”

Sonego wasn’t being particularly rude. English not his mother tongue, those colorful words in a foreign dialect are often the simplest to remember.

The sentiment wasn’t wrong, either, but thankfully Thursday brought mostly sunny skies. Sun and temperatures close to 86 Fahrenheit are predicted for Friday, too.

Berrettini, the world No. 38, won’t be too downcast dealing with the turbulent weather week, since he almost pulled out of this year’s Championships.

“I didn't know if I was ready or not,” said Berrettini. “I didn't practice much, I didn't serve much, like what you're supposed to do before a tournament, before a Grand Slam.

“At the same time, my will of playing was bigger than my preparation, I guess. I was like, ‘Okay, let's see what I can do.’ I know in my heart I want to play this tournament, doesn't matter the result.”

For the second straight season, Berrettini missed Roland Garros. It was a hand injury last year and an abdominal complaint this year. He returned on grass in Stuttgart, left the court in tears after claiming three games in another match against Sonego, then withdrew from Queen’s Club.

Memories of 2022’s triumphant comeback on grass, when Berrettini stormed to titles at both those tournaments, had elevated hopes of a repeat performance. Yet the wins—nor matches—didn’t come.

“I had a lot of expectations,” said Berrettini, who sits at his lowest ranking since April 2019. “I remember hitting the first time on grass at Stuttgart, feeling unbelievable, like I never stopped playing on grass. So expectations were really high. At the same time, I didn't have any matches in my background.

“You have to measure so many things. Sometimes you just go too forward with your head. You have to be in the moment. Last year my coach was always telling me I spoiled myself with the fact that I came back after hand surgery and I won back-to-back titles on grass.”

Berrettini’s drive backhand let him down when holding a match point against a stranded Andy Murray at this year’s Australian Open, but stroking one down the line earned him a break point at 3-2 in the fourth set Thursday. Sonego’s forehand unforced error into the net confirmed Berrettini’s superiority.

At 5-2 and the match slipping away from Sonego, a carefree tweener volley winner prompted the 28-year-old to cajole the crowd for further applause. Things turned more serious in the final game as Berrettini was forced to save a break point, slamming a serve out wide.

The pair exchanged a lengthy hug when the contest—which will officially be logged at three hours, 21 minutes—finally concluded.

I know in my heart I want to play this tournament, doesn't matter the result. Matteo Berrettini

And so Berrettini’s eventful Wimbledons continue.

He rallied from two sets down to beat a seeded Jack Sock in his debut in 2018; advanced to the fourth round in 2019 prior to being thumped by his idol, Roger Federer, in 1:14; and landed in his maiden Grand Slam final at SW19 in 2021.

Last year as one of the contenders given his hot spell, a bout of Covid, not injury, forced him to withdraw.

Berrettini is bound to take ample confidence from the win over his pal, especially since Sonego is no grass-court slouch. Overall, the current Italian crop—like the Spaniards before them—now thrive on surfaces other than just clay.

But Berrettini, unseeded at a major for the first time since the 2019 Australian Open, faces a daunting task. He must play his second-round match—against the grass-adept Alex de Minaur—on Friday, and if he wins, his third-round match on Saturday.

Making another final seems unlikely given his current circumstances, which even he appears to acknowledge.

“I'm taking every day at a time, every point at a time,” he said. “Right now it doesn't seem real that I won the first match. There was a moment last week where I was like, ‘Okay, I'm not ready, maybe it's better if I pull out.’ But then I push through.

“Whatever happens, it's going to be great for me. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling happy to be here. That's the most important thing.”