"In tennis it's impossible to win if you're not at the top": Bertolucci comes out in defense of Berrettini after continued criticism

Paolo Bertolucci has defended Matteo Berrettini from trolls and discusses his Wimbledon chances.

Sports commentator and former Italian tennis player Paolo Bertolucci has come out in defense of his countryman Matteo Berrettini after a season marred by injury and social media trolls.

The former world No. 6 suffered an abdominal injury at the Montecarlo Masters 1000 in April, which forced him to withdraw from his third-round match and subsequently from the rest of the clay season, including the French Open.

Berrettini then attempted to continue his run on the ATP Tour, but made a tearful exit from the Stuttgart Open after being defeated in the first round by fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego. His bad luck continued when he was unable to defend his title at the Queen's Club Championships, as injuries once again made him withdraw.

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In a recent interview with the Fanpage.it site, Bertolucci spoke about Berrettini's plight, saying 'In tennis it's impossible to win if you're not at the top.' He added that Berrettini's 'problem with his weak abs' is not helped by the physical demands of the sport, such as 'continuous sprints' and 'hard and stiff accelerations'.

However, Bertolucci was quick to add that Berrettini's private life has nothing to do with his career-related challenges, saying 'It's not a collapse, it's a physical problem.'

In recent months, Berrettini's relationship with Italian TV presenter and former Maxim model Melissa Satta has come under fire from trolls on social media. 37-year-old Satta, who has been publicly dating the 27-year-old 2021 Wimbledon finalist since January of this year, was accused of being 'too demanding' and 'distracting' Berrettini from tennis. 

The couple have refuted these accusations, with Berrettini saying 'I cannot conceive how a relationship can allow you not to do your job, but people talk.' Moreover, it seems that Bertolucci agrees with the pair, stating that 'If he were engaged to another girl, nobody would care', before adding about the trolling situation in general, 'I can't stand this stuff [...] He is accountable to no one.'

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Bertolucci went on to talk about Berrettini's prospects at this year's Wimbledon, and his outlook was not particularly optimistic. Whilst he points out that 'he is trying', he also notes that 'he has been out for three months and everything that will happen, if he were to play, will be a miracle.'