You may think what you want but Berrettini is a grass court specialist

Matteo Berrettini has kicked off the grass swing in great form, once again demonstrating that he is a grass-court specialist by reaching the final of the ATP 250 Stuttgart Open. The Italian defeated his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti (No. 30) and will seek his fifth grass-court title against Brit Jack Draper (No. 40).

Berrettini's ranking does not reflect his status on the Tour, especially when it comes to grass tournaments, where he has had outstanding performances at Wimbledon and several titles along the way. The world No. 90 was a finalist at SW19 in 2021, and his recent performances have been against tough opponents.

The former world No. 5 has a new opportunity to claim a title after two years. Berrettini is playing just his fourth ATP-level tournament this year (in addition to a Challenger in Phoenix), due to constant injuries that have prevented him from maintaining regularity on the Tour.

However, he has had good performances: finalist in Phoenix, champion of the ATP 250 Marrakech Open, and now the final of the Stuttgart Open, with the possibility of winning his second title of the year. The grass swing appears as a great opportunity for Berrettini to climb back up the rankings and secure his presence in the major tournaments.

His recent performances at Wimbledon have been remarkable. In 2023, he fell to first seed and eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz after reaching the fourth round, including wins over Alex De Minaur and Alexander Zverev along the way. In 2021, he was the runner-up, losing in the final to 7-time champion Novak Djokovic, having defeated players like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz. Even further back, in 2019, he fell to eventual runner-up Roger Federer in the fourth round.

Berrettini's record on grass is 36-8 (81%) and 13-4 at Wimbledon (76%), with his best result at SW19 being the final in 2021. In his career, he also has four titles on this surface: Queen’s Club Championships (2021, 2022), Stuttgart Open (2019, 2022).

Berrettini will have the opportunity to claim his fifth title on grass this Sunday and could also match Rafael Nadal with three crowns in Stuttgart, with the difference being that Nadal won the title twice when it was played on clay, while all of Berrettini’s wins were on grass.