Date of Birth: 4.12.1996

Place of Birth: Rome, Italy 

Nationality: Italian

Height: 6’5”

Career-high ranking: 6 

Best Grand Slam performance: 2021 Wimbledon finalist 

UTS Appearances: UTS1

Style and Personality: 

A massive serve, a giant forehand and a lovable personality all contribute to the irresistible allure of Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. On court he’s force to be reckoned with. Dangerous, dominant and dead set on achieving victory. Off the court he’s a gentle giant, a classic mama’s boy who wears his heart on his sleeve. 

UTS History – the first champion! 

Berrettini, aka “The Hammer” won the title at UTS1 when he defeated Stefanos Tstisipas in a sudden death showdown at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in 2020. 

His victory marked a thrilling end to the inaugural UTS competition – in a blockbuster final between two top-10 players, Berrettini rifled a final forehand winner past Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim a 3-2 victory in the extra session. 

https://twitter.com/UTShowdown/status/1282423412800008193

Always a gentleman and a good sport, Berrettini was quick to admit that luck factored into his thrilling triumph. 

“When he hit the approach I thought, I really hope he hits to the forehand,” Berrettini said after clinching the title. “I just closed my eyes and hit a winner.”

Tsitsipas had won his first four sudden death encounters – if players are tied after four quarters, the first player to win two points in a row wins the sudden death – but Berrettini delivered in the clutch to claim the title. 

Berrettini was a natural in the UTS format, which allows players to choose cards such as “Steal Serve”, “Next Point Counts x 2”and “Winners count 3” to pad their point totals in each of the four 10-minute quarters. 

The Italian relied heavily on the “Winners count 3” card, using his bruising style of tennis to rack up points behind his serve. 

“I love it when it’s working for me, I don’t really love it when it’s working against me,” Berrettini joked of the Winner x 3 card.

Berrettini’s presence in the first edition of UTS, along with Tsitsipas, Richard Gasquet (his victim in the semi-finals), Feliciano Lopez, Dominic Thiem and several others gave the event a memorable start. 

UTS will return to the tennis calendar with four editions in 2023, including editions in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The star-studded lineup for 2023 and the event host cities will be unveiled in the coming months. The Countdown is on.