"He didn't understand the luck he has": Tennis legend Pietrangeli scolds Berrettini, says he is 'squandering everything'

Nicola Pietrangeli criticized Matteo Berrettini for his poor results in the last year.

The former tennis player and perhaps the greatest legend of Italian tennis, achieved two French Open titles: in 1959 against South African Ian Vermaak and in 1960 against Chilean Luis Ayala. He reached two more Roland Garros finals in 1961 and 1964, both of which he lost to Spanish player Manuel Santana.

Nicola Pietrangeli also won a bronze medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico and holds the record for the most victories in the Davis Cup by an Italian player, both in singles and doubles. At 89 years old, the tennis legend still enjoys the sport and shared his opinion on the current situation of his compatriot Matteo Berrettini:

"Only Matteo knows when he will be able to play again, I hope that the rumor circulating, or that he is thinking of quitting, is not true. It would be a drama for him and for Italian tennis," he said.

"Berrettini is handsome, he's rich, and he's famous. He didn't understand the luck he has, earns millions of dollars, and is squandering everything. I honestly don't feel sorry for it."

During the ongoing 2023 Queen's Club Championship, Berrettini had to withdraw before the first-round match against Finnish player Emil Ruusuvuori. The Italian won the trophy in 2021 and 2022, so he won't be able to defend important points, considering that he has dropped from being ranked world No. 6 to falling outside the top 30 in the last year.

Berrettini will enter Wimbledon with only one grass court match played this year, having been defeated in the first round of the Stuttgart Open last week by his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, with a score of 6-1, 6-2.