"My team told me to retire, but I'm sick of retiring" - Berrettini on fighting injury
ATP
Matteo Berrettini showed that he's a real fighter when he played despite his team telling him to stop in his semifinal match at the 2022 Napoli Cup.
The 26-year-old Italian experienced a lot of setbacks this season, especially because of injuries or other medical reasons. Late in the season, Berrettini is still in a fight for a spot at the 2022 ATP Finals, and he showed his great fighting spirit when he played through an injury in his home country.
Berrettini has finished in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings every year since 2019, and he will certainly want to extend his streak this year. His three-set win in the semi-final of the ATP 250 event in Naples over Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, certainly helped him, even though he physically struggled in the match.
After his win, Berrettini admitted that his team told him to retire, but he didn't want to retire because of how many matches he had to give up recently.
"I don’t even know how I did it. I wasn’t feeling very good. I asked for the physio because my foot was hurting. It happened so many times in my career that I had to fight through so many things, not just thinking about the tennis ball. I didn’t want to retire, I'm sick of retiring. My team told me ‘I think you should stop’. But I tried and I found a way."
Lorenzo Musetti, who has yet to lose a set in Naples, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-finals. He will take on Berrettini in the final, and after his match, he spoke about an upcoming clash with his compatriot and good friend.
"Tomorrow we will be rivals for the time on court, and for the time off court we will still be friends, for sure. Especially in the last part of the year, we have shared a lot of memories and times together."
"Especially at the Davis Cup, but even at tournaments we practise a lot together. Even here, today. So we are really close, and tomorrow is going to be a really tough one for both. The winner will take all, but for sure the friendship will remain."
