From hope to hindsight — Matteo Berrettini on the missed moment in Rome vs. Alexei Popyrin

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Matteo Berrettini’s hopes of making an impression at his home tournament were dashed early, falling in the first round of the Italian Open.

Berrettini was beaten by Alexei Popyrin, who moved on to the next round with a straight-sets win, 6-2, 6-3.

Popyrin’s victory was his first at an ATP Masters 1000 event since August 2025, when he won a match at the Cincinnati Open. It also added to what has already been a tough year for Berrettini.

The defeat marked Berrettini’s ninth consecutive Masters tournament without reaching the fourth round. The former Wimbledon finalist admitted afterwards that he was disappointed with how he played, especially in front of his home fans.

Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images

Berrettini shares thoughts after early Rome exit

Berrettini reflected on the match, telling We Are Tennis Italia: “I’m sad because I didn’t know how to manage my emotions, and my tennis suffered.

“I thought this a lot, and I regret that I didn’t fully enjoy the atmosphere of Rome,” he added. The 30-year-old’s best showing at the Italian Open remains a quarterfinal run in 2020.

This year has been tough for Berrettini, with just one quarterfinal appearance so far, which came at the Rio Open back in February.

He missed the Australian Open due to injury and then fell in the second round at Indian Wells before reaching the third round in Miami.

His standout win of the season came at Monte-Carlo, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-0. But that form didn’t carry over, as he lost next to Joao Fonseca before suffering early exits in both Madrid and Rome.

Alexei Popyrin shares thoughts after breaking Masters drought