ROLAND GARROS

September 29, 2020

Matteo Berrettini

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/V. Pospisil

6-3, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you want to talk about your opponent today, what your thoughts on his match was?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I think he didn't play that bad. I think I was putting a lot of pressure on him. I think I was serving well, returning well. Once you return well, I mean, obviously for everyone, but for him especially with these conditions, was tough.

I felt that I was moving better. I was putting more weight in the rallies. I think he struggled to find a way to win the points.

Q. Third set, how did you stay focused, keep the concentration going, domination going?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Yeah, I know this part is tough. You never know. If he starts to serve better, it would have been, like, tougher for me. So that's what I tried to do. I got the break as soon as I can.

I think in the first game, Love-40, he played really well from Love-40 until the end of the game. After, nothing. I was focusing on my service game, trying to find the chance to break him.

The third set obviously was the toughest one, but I was feeling pretty confident. Again, you never know. You have to be there. You have to be focused because it can change everything in a moment.

Q. Your thoughts on the conditions?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Like I said before, also in an interview after the match with Santoro, the balls are pretty heavy. It's raining. It's cold. Everything together, it's not really helping.

But the main thing I think is it's really different compare to Rome. I'm coming from Rome. It's pretty different. Like I said, now I'm stringing my racquets three kilos less and I'm feeling good about it. At the beginning I started with my normal tension. I was like, Okay, the ball is not going (smiling).

What you have to do is get used to it. Also the other players, for sure they're having problems to make the ball go. And, nothing. I felt good on court today.

Q. Everywhere you look in the men's draw these days are Italians. It's incredible to see how many Italian men are at now the top of the game. Is there one main reason for that or is it a collection of investment, facilities, tournaments, everything together? What do you put it down to?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I think, like you said, it's everything together. There isn't a main reason. Obviously you have to have the guys that are good enough to play this kind of tennis at this level.

At the same time it's a consequence I think of what happened two years ago with Marco a little bit, what the federation did for the younger ones like me, Lorenzo Musetti, and Sinner. Then all the great job that all the coaches are doing with the older ones, like Caruso, Travaglia.

I'm really happy for the Italian crowd. Once one player is losing, they have five or six to follow. It's really good for the moment. It's really good. If you think about the Davis Cup.

It's really good for myself because it push me to achieve more and more. That's one of the main thing. We are helping each other. One week one is winning, the other week the other one is winning. We want to push each other for the best.

Q. How important is it that you have so many challenger tournaments in Italy these days?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: That's one of the other important reason, I guess. I think we are the second, maybe first country for challenger after U.S. I'm not sure about it. I know there are a lot of challengers. The federation guarantee wild card for the younger ones. It's important also if you have the ranking to play. You don't have to travel too much. You can be in Italy, in Europe, and it's a big thing. I mean, you're going to get, like, less tired.

One thing is, like, going in China, being there for two months. One thing is being in Europe, Italy, especially for two months. This is really great. It's great for everyone, especially for the younger ones, because they can have a chance to play a high level since the really beginning.

Q. Do you already feel like one of the older players? Musetti and Sinner, these guys are unbelievable.

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Yeah, now it's crazy. Until last year I was the young one (smiling). Now these two are with big steps stepping in.

I mean, my career is completely different compared to theirs. They started really young. When I had their age, I was starting, I was playing futures. I'm older, but I still didn't have so many experiences. This is my third Roland Garros, and I'm 24. Probably them at 24, they would have played already maybe six Roland Garros.

It's definitely different. But I'm feeling that still I have a little bit more experience because I've been in the tour a little bit more. These two are really young and impressive.

Q. We're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the great Roland Garros title of Francesca Schiavone. Do you remember this title run? Do you have any thoughts about it?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Yeah, it's crazy that it's been already 10 years. I remember, I was a kid, 14. It's been a lot of years ago.

I remember it was a really big thing for us, to Italy, for the sport in general. Francesca used to be a real fighter in the court. I think she show us how she's still, like, a great fighter for the bad thing that she fought that she won against it. I think it's really nice you remember that.

Actually she did finals the year after. It was really impressive, was really great period that we been like some years ago with her, with Flavia, with Sara, with Roberta. I think we had a great period for the girls.

Now we hope to have the same period with the guys.

Q. The foot-fault, how is it possible with the great serves you put in, that suddenly there is a foot-fault? What is the problem?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I guess I don't think about it. Sometimes, especially just on the ad side, I move my left foot a little bit, especially when my toss is not perfect.

I mean, I didn't think about it. After they called it the first time, second time, I was focusing on putting the serve inside the box, not where I was putting my foot.

But I remember that also a tournament two years, last year, they were calling foot-fault here in Paris. I guess they're more precise or they see better, I don't know. Maybe here in Paris I feel that I have to step in (smiling).