Former world number 3 and coach of Roger Federer, Ivan Ljubicic sees many similarities between his protegee and Matteo Berrettini.
Matteo Berrettini has established himself as one of the best tennis players in the world. His major breakthrough came back in 2019 when he reached the US Open semi-finals and ever since then Berrettini hovered around and inside the top 10. Further success came in 2021 with a run to the Wimbledon finals as well as more consistency in his game overall.
For Ivan Ljubicic, there are many similartiies with Roger Federer as he explained:
“Berrettini is a great tennis player. He seems to me an exceptional man, not only for his skills but also for the depth he has in discussing things. The only other player I know of like him is Federer. Matteo [Berrettini] is perfect and in 2021 he has shown that if he can do the right things he is capable of standing up to any player on the tour.”
Berrettini has a 16-3 record on Grand Slam eves in 2021 losing only to Djokovic at 3 of them. He reached the quarter-finals in 3 of them due to a retirement in Australia in R4. It remains to be seen how far Berrettini can go but Ljubicic seems like a believer.