MONTE CARLO - Tuesday afternoon in Monte-Carlo was far from being any given day in the calendar as resurgent Italian player Matteo Berrettini and top seed Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Alexander Zverev graced the prestigious Court Rainier III in front of an electric crowd for a world-class match for the ages.
On Tuesday, Roman-born Matteo Berrettini echoed with his tennis the celebrated phrase attributed to Julius Cesar, in Latin, “Veni, vidi, vici,” which translates into English as “came, saw, and conquered.”
The 10-time ATP titlist shocked world No. 2 Alexander Zverev with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, becoming the first Italian man to defeat a Top-2 player on clay since 2023.
Following a pulsating two-hour, 28-minute world-class contest, the former world number six prevailed over the top-seeded player in front of a loud crowd, securing his spot in the round of 16 at the first Masters 1000 of the season contested on clay at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
During his post-match press conference, Berrettini spoke about the meaning of achieving the biggest win of his career.
“I’m really proud of the way I turned the match around. I wasn’t feeling my best, especially in the first set, and Sascha was playing a very high level of tennis. So, to turn things around, I had to push hard, especially mentally, telling myself to believe in my shots and my tennis and just enjoy the fight.
“That is what I did and kept telling myself, especially in the third set, when things got a little complicated at the end.”
A packed stadium saw the world No. 34 getting off to an uncharacteristically poor start after dropping serve in the first game, outplayed by the German No. 1 racquet, who closed out 6-2 in just 39 minutes.
Adversity is no stranger to the 28-year-old who has dropped in the Rankings due to a series of injuries, testing the elite player physically and mentally.
For his part, Zverev has been struggling to find his best tennis this season, and after falling in his opening match at the tournament, he outlined this period of his career as “the worst since my injury last few months.”
Early in January, while competing at the United Cup in Australia, he sustained a bicep strain, which forced him to withdraw from the mixed teams competition.
“It’s a matter that I’m losing. It’s as simple as that,” he added. “You win one or two matches like this, and there are no more questions in my mind.”
The 2025 Australian Open runner-up further stressed: “I lost three sets in Buenos Aires, I lost three sets in Rio, I lost three sets in Indian Wells, I lost three sets in Miami, I lost three sets here, and I didn’t win a single one. So, that is the matter.”
The 27-year-old return game was notably lacking in the second set, as he failed to convert a single break point.
Furthermore, he committed 15 unforced errors compared to his adversary’s 8.
Meanwhile, Berrettini stayed clinical behind his booming serve, winning 93 percent of the points on his first service to seal the set 6-3, even the score one set apiece to force a decider, setting the crowd on fire.
The third set saw the players holding their ground as the Italian became the most consistent of the two, barely giving free points.
Moreover, a combination of depth and power earned him a chance to break.
In a highly competitive seventh game, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist earned a 40-0 advantage over the 23-time ATP winner, who fought back, fending two breakpoints. But his efforts fell short as Berrettini took the break in his third attempt, coming out on top at 4-3.
They went toe-to-toe in the following game before Umberto Rianna’s pupil saved a break point to navigate out of danger, extending his lead to 5-3.
Then, he failed to serve out for the match at 5-4, a mistake he would not commit twice.
Zverev pulled off a gear, breaking to keep his chances alive; a dramatic end to a high-quality encounter began to unfold.
At 5-5, 40/40, an outstanding 48-shot rally kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. When Berrettini fired a lethal backhand shot to nail the break in the 11th game, he rushed to sentence the match on serve, striking a forehand winner to seal a colossal win.
His round of 16 opponent will surge from the clash between compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, who will meet Jiri Lehecka on Wednesday.
