“Didn’t expect it to bounce so high,” Matteo Berrettini blames newly resurfaced Indian Wells court for third-round exit

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3 in Indian Wells Open, a rematch of the Dubai Championships quarterfinals.

“Didn’t expect it to bounce so high,” Matteo Berrettini blames newly resurfaced Indian Wells court for third-round exit

Matteo Berrettini (via ATP/X)

Matteo Berrettini‘s Indian Wells journey ended in the third round, with a loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Italian aimed to avenge his recent defeat to the in-form Greek at the Dubai Championships, but fell short once again. After the match, the 28-year-old attributed his loss to the newly resurfaced Indian Wells court.

Ahead of the ATP 1000 tournament, Indian Wells announced a change the outdoor hard-court surface provider from Plexiwave to Laykold. The new surface has been used at the Miami Open and US Open for over four years. However, since the change, players have been responding differently to it.

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Novak Djokovic revealed after his first-round loss that the ball bounces higher than expected on the court. Berrettini reiterated the same claim. But, it was surprising that the Italian didn’t say it after beating Christopher O’Connell in straight sets in the second round. It was after he was beaten by Tsitsipas 3-6, 3-6 in the third round that he revealed the problems he encountered with the new surface.

In fact, he went on to say that the ball bounced so high in an unusual manner on the court. However, he also praised Tsitsipas for playing an incredible tennis against him.

I played against a great Tsitsipas, I should have played better to make it difficult for him. I watched matches on the center court, but I did not expect the ball to bounce so high. I don’t remember hitting a shot below the waist, which is unusual on the hard court.

Matteo Berrettini said via Indian Wells Press

Berrettini earned his biggest win of the season by beating Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Qatar Open. Nonetheless, he has failed to make it beyond the quarterfinal of any tournament this season.

Stefanos Tsitsipas excited that he played “a good match” against Matteo Berrettini

Stefanos Tsitsipas has continued to surpass the expectations of fans this season. The Monte Carlo champion began the season losing to Alex Michelsen in the first round of the Australian Open. However, he has done well to bounce back and recently claimed his first ATP 500 title in Dubai.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (3)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via ATP/X)

He has continued with his form in Indian Wells, and he’s already into the fourth round. After beating Matteo Berrettini in the third round in Indian Wells, he was excited that he played a great match, debunking the notion that it was perfect.

I played a good match. There is no such thing as a perfect match. I’ve probably only played a perfect match twice in my life, if that’s a definition of something where nothing goes wrong. I don’t know. There’s no such thing as a perfect match. He probably meant that I played well. I thank him for saying that, obviously. But there are definitely other things that I could take into account next time to do them better and avoid time passing and me not realizing these things a few matches later.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said via Indian Wells Press

Tsitsipas will face Holger Rune in the fourth round in Indian Wells. The Greek star has an underwhelming 0-3 record against the Danish star.