Matteo Berrettini failed to finish off his tremendous week at the 2024 Stuttgart Open with a trophy, as Jack Draper beat him in three sets.
Fans in Stuttgart saw possibly the best possible final at the ATP 250 tournament in the German city, as the two best-performing players all week long found themselves in the final.
It was a fascinating matchup between two players who love to play on grass and who were firing on all cylinders on their way to the final. Draper finished the week in style, beating Berrettini in three sets.
It was a fascinating match. The Italian looked better at the start, but with time, the British youngster simply took over, and much of that had to do with his serve being literally unbreakable.
Berrettini tried everything and played really well, but the Brit was untouchable all week long and once more in the final. It was disappointing for the Italian, and he admitted after the match that this loss would sting for a while but still congratulated his opponent for an amazing week and a well-deserved trophy.
"Congrats to Jack. Unbelievable week and match. I was so close. This is gonna hurt for a while.. but that’s tennis. I won matches like this and lost matches like this. I’m sure this guy is gonna lift more trophies. Unbelievable week. Good luck for the upcoming tournaments."
Despite missing out on the trophy, Berrettini will be happy with his week overall because it was everything he had hoped it would be. The previous weeks saw him absent from the Tour due to continued battles with minor injuries, so making the final in his first week back was amazing.
His great run on grass certainly should make him feel optimistic about the upcoming weeks and Wimbledon especially. He played in the final there 3 years ago.