"I am very sorry" - Berrettini apologizes for clumsy Instagram story which was deemed as racist

Matteo Berrettini posted an Instagram story on his profile with a photo of LeBron James and two emojis that can be interpreted the wrong way.

He posted an Instagram story with LeBron James and two emojis. One was a gorilla and the other was a crown. The story was clumsily constructed by Berrettini who clearly was not aware how it might be interpreted which got him to delete it fairly quickly after that.

Due to James' racial background, the first emoji used is one with racist undertones and it's unfortunate that Berrettini used it. For him it probably symbolizes strength for which the animal is known however in 2022 there is something called digital literacy.

Berrettini was quick to issue an apology admitting that he was unaware of what he did:

"I am very sorry if my previous story post offended anyone. I was informed that it can easily be misinterpreted so I have deleted it. Lebron is my biggest idol. Incredible role model and inspiration."