Matteo Berrettini Wins 2024 ATP Comeback Player of the Year Award
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Matteo Berrettini won the 2024 ATP Comeback Player of the Year award after a very successful season.
The 28-year-old Italian player has been one of the unluckiest players on the ATP Tour when it comes to injuries. In 2021, he played in the Wimbledon Championships final, and it seemed like he was coming close to the peak of his tennis career.
Unfortunately, little did Berrettini know that it would be the last highlight of his career for a very long time. He started struggling with injuries, which kept him out of play in 2023, and it seemed like he could almost never get properly healthy.
In 2024, he couldn't start the season in Australia, as he was forced to withdraw from the tournaments held in the initial part of the season.
His comeback started around the Sunshine Double, with his first tournament being an ATP Challenger event in Phoenix. He reached the final already in his first tournament, even though he lost to Nuno Borges.
He then lost in the first round of the Miami Open to Andy Murray, but then, Berrettini started an inspired run. First, he won the Marrakech Open, which was his first title since 2022.
The Italian continued his run with a final appearance at the Stuttgart Open, but he was a bit unlucky at Wimbledon. Already in the second round, he had to play against the top-seeded Jannik Sinner, who bested him in a four-set battle.
Berrettini was able to forget that disappointment, winning back-to-back titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel to bring the number of titles won in 2024 to three, the most Tour-level titles in his career.
In September, Berrettini significantly helped his country to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals, winning all of his matches in the round-robin stage of the tournament.
Thanks to that, Italy qualified for the knockout stage, and with Jannik Sinner's help, Berrettini was able to power Italy to the Davis Cup title.
After the season ended, Berrettini was nominated for the 2024 ATP Comeback Player of the Year alongside Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori. The nominees were chosen by the International Tennis Writers' Association (ITWA), while the winner was selected by the players.
After being selected for the honor, Berrettini shared a short video message thanking all of his fans for their continued support.
"I'm just so happy to win the Comeback Player of the Year award. Thank you very much for the support. It was a great season, a great effort for me and my team."
"Obviously so happy for the results that we achieved and I cannot wait to step on the court in 2025 to get more success. Thanks again for your support. Without you guys, the fans, it wouldn't be possible."
In 2025, the Italian player, nicknamed "the hammer," will want to get to seeded spots at Grand Slams again and challenge for trophies regularly. He will start the season as the World No. 34, so not far from those 32 seeded spots.
