MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 7, 2021

Matteo Berrettini

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/C. Garin

5-7, 6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What have you been most proud of in your journey to the semifinals?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I'm most proud of what? Sorry?

Q. What have you been most proud of as you've reached the Madrid semifinals?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, I'm really proud that I came from not an easy place mentally after my injury. The first match after my injury was really bad in a way, not for the loss but the way I lost it.

I really work hard. There were days where I wasn't really feeling into practice because I felt like kind of there was a lot of work to be done. Sometimes I was feeling kind of unlucky that I got injured again. It was just tough.

But then I came back stronger in Belgrade. For here, I proved to myself that I'm strong inside.

Q. Talk about the challenges of facing Casper. You had a close one at the same level in Rome last year.

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Yeah, like I said before, I think he's a great, great player, especially on clay. He's been playing really good, really solid so far this season. We always had, like, tough matches.

Last year in Rome was really tricky match. Still if I think about it, it hurts. I'm really looking forward to get my revenge, not in a bad way, but just in a way that's in a sports way.

Now I'm happy for my win. Tomorrow I'm going to think about Casper. But, I mean, I'm really happy to play in semis against him.

Q. With Roland Garros being played last fall, now being played again six months later, there's a lot of clay court tennis. They're long, grueling matches. Is there a downside to having these two tournaments so close together, or is the soft surface kind of comforting on the body?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, I grew up on clay, so I don't mind the surface. We have to say that Paris last year was completely different tournament compared to this one, I would say. The altitude and stuff... The thing was in the fall, wasn't in spring. I felt it a lot. The ball wasn't jumping definitely like here.

But so far, I mean, I always said I like play on clay. Until my semis in US Open, I was saying that my favorite surface was clay. I really like to play, especially because Rome for me, it's a really big, big tournament.

Yeah, I mean, my body so far is nice, it's good. I really work hard to be here physically ready. Yeah, let's see.