THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2021

Matteo Berrettini

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/G. Pella

6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you describe the level of confidence you have right now and your thoughts on being able to go deep in this tournament?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I think it's definitely something that helped me today when things got little bit, like, complicated. I told myself, I said to myself, that I played a lot of matches, I won most of them, especially recently, and this is something that it's important for a player.

Sometimes you win also with the confidence that you feel in yourself. Today, especially in the third set, I used that as a weapon to overtake him.

Q. How does that make you feel about your thoughts in terms of going deep in the tournament?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, I know that I have the level, I have the weapons, like I said. Also the mental mindset to get there. But, as I think you guys could see today, every match is a fight, every match is really difficult.

I have to go step by step now. I have to think about the match of tomorrow. Of course, I would like to have a long run, but step by step.

I know I can do it, but I know it's going to be tough.

Q. How are you enjoying playing on grass? How are you adapting your game to the grass court?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, so far I never lost a match. So I would say pretty good (smiling).

But I know that it's a surface that doesn't really forgive you anything. Like today I played just a bad game, he took a net, then the match completely changed. I know I have to be focus all the time. It's tough, especially for best-of-five match.

Obviously it's feeling my game, my serve, my forehand, my slice. At the same time I know that I have to put a lot of effort mentally to play my best tennis.

Q. How much are you enjoying the fact that there are so many Italians doing well at the moment?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I said it I think a lot of times that it's something that help me to get better, to get better results, to go to practice and feel that I want to try to be like the best of not just the Italians, all the tennis players that are here.

The fact that we have a good relationship and there are so many, I think it's helping also being on the tour. You see guys that can speak your language. At least it wasn't that common few years ago. It's really nice now. I just had lunch with Seppi. He's getting ready for his match. So it's nice.

Q. What do you make of the comparison between you and Becker, winning Queen's on debut, then coming to Wimbledon to possibly win as well?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, of course it feels great to being told that. At the same time I know that I don't have -- I didn't achieve maybe a quarter of what he achieved in his career.

Of course it feels nice to hear my name close to him. I think the best part was that I met him as soon as I got here. He was walking by. He stopped. I was surprised because he knew who I was. He made me feel good. He told me like, Well done. Now we have something in common.

I was like, Okay.

So he knew.

I was like, Yeah, I wish I have everything in common, like all the titles and stuff.

I'll try to get there.

He also told me I had to keep my mind clear to have a long run here. I'll try to do that.

Q. Does that add pressure to you in your game here, this comparison?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, pressure and these kind of things I think it's a privilege in a way. If someone told me a few years ago, Look, they're going to compare your name to Becker, I would be, I don't know, I would feel great. It feels great.

I know now I step in the court and people around me in general, they expect me to win. I expect myself to win. Two years ago, three years ago when I got here, I know it wasn't like that. Everything changed.

At the same time I have to say that I grew up at that level, so I'm feeling ready to face these kind of things.