The gentle giant of the ATP Tour was a popular figure wherever he went. Now, as he approaches thirty, he admits he plays just for the joy of it and wants to use his influence to help South American tournaments stay on the tennis map.
Currently, Berrettini is ranked outside the top 50 in the world, and while most top players are competing in Asian and European tournaments, he headed to South America.
In February, he played in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, where his run was ended by Czech clay-court specialist Vít Kopriva. He didn’t have much success in Santiago either, going out in the first round. But he’s not discouraged.
"Now I just want to enjoy tennis, play in front of my family and friends, and savour everything I’ve achieved.
"I may only be turning thirty, but I’ve been through a lot of health issues. If I wanted to get back to the level I used to be at, I know it would take a lot of time," he told El Mercurio.
What bothers Berrettini more is the marginalisation of tournaments in South America. There are currently only three ATP events in the region during the February swing, compared to nine in Asia. China alone hosts six.
"Personally, I think South America deserves to have a top-level tournament on the tour. People here are passionate about the sport, and there are top players as well. The stadiums in Buenos Aires and Rio were packed, and I know Santiago can offer the same," he said.
The truth is, there are currently 12 South Americans in the ATP top 100, and only two players from Asia - Alexander Bublik and Alexander Shevchenko - if you count Kazakhstan as part of Asia, and even then, both of those players were born in Russia.
"Tennis and sport have always been about emotions, the crowd, the atmosphere on court. These are the factors ATP should consider when allocating major tournaments. And South America ticks all those boxes," Berrettini concluded.