Matteo Berrettini is close to appointing a new coach for the upcoming season and Italian media are reporting a familiar name will be taking over the reins from Vincenzo Santopadre.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the deal to hire Thomas Enqvist is as good as done. Only the official announcement is missing and could be coming very soon. Berrettini recently parted ways with his longtime coach Vincenzo Santopadre after 13 years together.
Berrettini penned an emotional message to his fans announcing Santopadre's departure after a forgettable year hampered by injuries. Under his countryman's tutelage, the 27-year-old reached a career-high ranking of World No. 6 and reached a Wimbledon final.
Replacing Santopadre, who has nurtured Berrettini through his teenage years, was going to require a sturdy and intelligent tennis mind. And that's why Berrettini has gone for the service of Enqvist, a former pro from Sweden who was ranked as high as No. 4 during a highly successful career.
Enqvist reached his one and only Grand Slam final at the 1999 Australian Open losing to Yevgeny Kafelnikov. He won 19 ATP titles during a 14-year career before he retired in 2005.
The Swede served as Davis Cup captain for his country between 2010 and 2012 and has international experience coaching ATP players Fernando Verdasco and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Now 49, Enqvist is the current tournament director of the Stockholm Open. He has also been a very notable name at the Laver Cup where he is the current vice-captain for Team Europe. It's a role he's diligently fulfilled since the tournament was incepted.
It was at the Laver Cup in Boston a couple of years ago that Berrettini and Enqvist bonded, potentially with an eye to a future player-coach relationship. Last year, during Roger Federer's farewell from tennis at the event which was hosted in London, the Swede's words of admiration were conspicuous.
"I met him in Boston - he said - and he really impressed me both as an athlete and as a person. He's really strong as well as a great guy."
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