By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, January 13, 2025
Photo credit: Graham Denholm/Getty
Matteo Berrettini showed major muscle memory in his Melbourne return.
Berrettini bombed 32 aces in an impressive 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 Australian Open win over Cameron Norrie on KIA Arena.
This wasn’t vintage Berrettini—it was better than that, Berrettini said.
The 2022 AO semifinalist said technically he’s a better player now than he was three years ago, but concedes he had more confidence then.
“I think in that moment I was feeling really confident, but if you look at some highlights and stuff. I don’t think I was playing better in terms of strokes,” Berrettini said. “Maybe I was playing better because I was more focused. I was more, like, used to play certain kind of matches, but I feel like my level is up there.
“Today I think I played a really good match. My backhand I think is better than three years ago. My return is better than three years ago. There is still room for improvement, luckily, and it’s just a matter of time and matches and opportunities to play against the best players in the world.”
The 28-year-old Berrettini will play 13th-seeded Holger Rune for a third-round spot.
Rune went the distance in defeating China’s Zhizhen Zhang.
“Yeah, next up Holger. We played a couple of times last year, and I saw the last few points of the match,” Berrettini said. “Obviously he’s a great player. We never played in a slam. So it’s quite different, but at the same time I know it’s going to be a tough match. But I feel good. I feel confident. I played, I think, a really good match today. Ready for the next one.”
