"Rightly said that he is a normal boy and his situation is a very normal one": Pennetta leaps to defence of Berrettini amid focusing on tennis comments

Matteo Berrettini has been catching a lot of criticism because of his poor form right now which many fans blame on his new relationship with former player Pennetta showing support.

Berrettini split with longtime girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic and has been enjoying the single life for a while. He's now in a new relationship and it coincided with a dip in form which many fans attributed to the new relationship. Berrettini dismissed those claims in an interview since it became public and former player Pennetta understands his frustration with the claims.

She explained:

"The problem is always the same: when one starts to win, people get excited and almost assume that everything is due. But that's not the case, because tennis is a very tough sport. You only stop for two months, if you like, and always being consistent isn't easy."

She added:

"Words hurt, I'm telling you from personal experience. You feel accused, you are told very heavy words because then people exaggerate and go crazy. You have to learn to let it all slip through."

And finished up with:

"Matteo rightly said that he is a normal boy and his situation is actually a very normal one. He closed it there and he was good because he said enough right away, as there was nothing more to say."