‘Matteo Berrettini is perhaps the hardest hitter in tennis along with Del Potro,’ says Novak Djokovic

‘Matteo Berrettini is perhaps the hardest hitter in tennis along with Del Potro,’ says Novak Djokovic

Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic

World No.1 Novak Djokovic is slowly and steadily getting close to his mission of winning the Calendar Slam for the year. The top seed at the 2021 US Open has made his way into the quarterfinals and will take on World No.8 Matteo Berrettini.

As tennis fans would be aware, the two players have already headlined Grand Slam matches in 2021. Djokovic and Berrettini recently met in the finals of the Wimbledon Championships, where the Serb outgunned the Italian in four sets to win his sixth Wimbledon crown.

Also, both players had locked horns in the French Open quarterfinals, where once again Djokovic had the last laugh in four sets. Although the top-ranked player both the matches, Berrettini showed why he belongs to the big stage.

Speaking ahead of the all-important battle, the No.6 seed Berrettini sounded confident taking on Djokovic. “I believe in my abilities and I think I can beat Djokovic. We had some tight matches recently, so I am confident.”

The 20-time Grand Slam champion also acknowledged that his 25-year-old opponent was one of the fiercest hitters of a tennis ball and can be a tough customer to handle.

“Hammer tennis. Lethal serve and forehand, perhaps the hardest hitter, along with Del Potro: If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, it’s really tough. We had close matches.”

Djokovic leads Berrettini 3-0

Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic
Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic

Currently, their head-to-head is in the favour of Djokovic as he leads the big serving Italian 3-0. Interestingly, the quarterfinals in New York will be their maiden clash on the outside hard courts.

The 34-year-old Djokovic has not been at his supreme best this year in New York. While he has found a way to get past his opponents in this first four rounds, Berrettini will be his first big challenge.

However, expect the top-ranked player to produce his best tennis as he is just three steps away from achieving a rare feat of winning all four Slams in one year.

YouTube video

Also read: Goran Ivanisevic explains why coaching Novak Djokovic can be stressful