Matteo Berrettini made his return to tennis at the
Sardegna Open playing doubles with his brother Jacopo but they did a lot more than just play tennis.
The Berrettini brothers took part in a food tasting exhibition on Monday ahead of their Tuesday match which they ended up winning. They had a special meal prepared by the chef of “Circolo dei buoni e cattivi”, the Tennis Club Cagliari’s restaurant. As they feasted on traditional Sardinian dishes Matteo spoke to ATPTour.com about several food-related topics.
Asked whether he liked the Sardinian cuisine he said:
"Yeah, [I liked it] a lot. It was a really nice experience, especially during these lockdown times."
Asked about his diet during events, he said:
"I try to eat more clean, more white rice, chicken, not heavy stuff, even though I can eat a lot. But sometimes you have to balance also the mental part because it’s important to feel happy about what you’re having and what you like to eat."
Asked about his guilty pleasures when it comes to food, Matteo said:
"I love burgers. Normally when I lose, I have burgers, because it’s the first time I can have them during the week. But I’m a great lover of obviously pasta and pizza and they’re not that bad for the diet when you have to play, especially to recover."
To conclude the interview he was asked about what other cuisine does he like besides Italian to which he responded:
"I would say I really like Spain. It’s similar to the Italian kitchen, but it’s a little bit different. I like its Mediterranean. "