Ben Shelton motivation, hair like Roger Federer, and loving Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe: Mattia Bellucci lays bare (Exclusive)

Mattia Bellucci's a left-hander like Ben Shelton with a hairdo like young Roger Federer, an Italian like Jannik Sinner with a love for tattoos like Carlos Alcaraz, but he is here to make a name for himself and stand out from the pack. The 23-year-old, who is competing in Rotterdam, wishes to express himself not only through his tennis but also his style.

Bellucci is presently the 11th Italian in the elite top 100—a historic feat for the country—with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, and Matteo Berrettini leading the way. Besides his three Challenger titles and six ITF titles, Mattia Bellucci has also made the main draw at each of the four Grand Slams -- all his matches jam-packed with entertainment.

At the 2024 French Open opener, the Italian challenged Frances Tiafoe to a thrilling five-setter before being edged out by the American. He posed a real threat to another American, Ben Shelton, on his Wimbledon debut a few weeks later. “He wanted it bad; it was cool to see,” was Shelton’s verdict after the narrow five-set escape that lasted two days. The following month, Bellucci finally tasted glory, beating none other than former champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets at the US Open for his first Major win.

At the ongoing ATP 500 in Rotterdam, the qualifier demolished a staggering three Dutchmen on the trot—Thijs Boogard (6-3, 6-1), Gjis Brouwer (6-1, 6-1), and Mees Rottgering (6-3, 6-2) in front of their home crowd to confirm a match against former champion Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

Ahead of the blockbuster clash, Sportskeeda had a candid chat with the tennis player, learning about his mindset, idols, style, tattoos, and more.

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Mattia Bellucci Exclusive

ABN AMRO Open - Day One - Source: Getty

Sportskeeda: Firstly, congratulations on your win – a hattrick of Dutch players. Do you thrive when the crowd is against you?

Mattia Bellucci: They were pretty fair. And also because there were a few Italians cheering for me. I normally like to play with the crowd against me. I played Wawrinka, who played an amazing match yesterday (6-7(8), 6-4, 6-1 loss to Daniil Medvedev in Rotterdam opener), I played at the US Open in 2024. And obviously the crowd was against me because he won there. But I was pretty excited to play in those conditions. So I like it.

Sportskeeda: Did having Italians (in Rotterdam) motivate you? We did hear a lot of loud Italian fans.

Mattia Bellucci: Yeah, they were super loud. There were not many, but they were super loud and that obviously helped me. They were also saying, “Mattia, you are at home!” That was funny. It was helpful.

Sportskeeda: How would you describe your game style?

Mattia Bellucci: I think I’m a pretty creative guy with a good serve. But I am really trying to improve on being solid and on my baseline game. Playing against Medvedev in the next round (Round of 16, Rotterdam 2025) will definitely be a big challenge for me.

I always try to express myself on court. I really like to do it. But obviously we also need some solid baseline game.

Sportskeeda: You are a left hander. Ben Shelton recently said that it is "impossible" to find players for pre-tournament practice. Do you relate to that?

Mattia Bellucci: I mean, “impossible,” not, but it is very, very difficult. Also, today I was looking for practice. There were many players that wanted to hit but they were looking for a righty. Yeah, definitely in tournaments it is way more difficult warming up and practicing with a lefty because there are not many players. Especially in this tournament – in the main draw there was just me and my (first-round) opponent (Junior No. 1 Rottgering).

That always makes a big difference. Because you try to recreate the match that you’re gonna play and the fact that maybe some righties are playing righties, they don’t want to hit with the lefties. I normally don’t care much about that. If I have to play a lefty, I play a lefty. If I have to play a righty, I don’t mind playing a lefty. But yeah, it is definitely more difficult.

Sportskeeda: You played Ben Shelton in arguably one of your biggest career matches yet (Wimbledon 2024 first round). How was that experience?

Bellucci (far right) pictured against Ben Shelton at Wimbledon 2024 - Image Source: Getty

Mattia Bellucci: It was a good experience also because I like how he is as a guy on court. He’s pretty explosive and he has good energy so it was a good encounter against him. I was happy to be two sets to one up before the end of the first day. But then he managed to prevail. But anyway, it was a very good experience. Playing those matches against these big guys is what I’m trying to do with much more continuity.

Sportskeeda: Do you feel, because the match was pushed to the next day, it broke your rhythm, maybe?

Mattia Bellucci: To be honest, everything can make a difference. But it was definitely difficult to play (continue on the first day) because there was no light. So the situation is basically the same for both of us. So, I mean, no. When I went to bed, I was two sets to one up; I was happy about it. I was trying to focus on the next day but he managed to change some things in the game and I had my difficulties with it. So I think he was the better player.

Sportskeeda: You are the 11th Italian in the top 100 (81 in live rankings). Seeing your peers doing well, does it add more pressure or do you like it in the sense that you can silently climb up the rankings?

Mattia Bellucci: To be honest, I don’t care much. I mean it’s good that we have a good movement. But I don’t think that we have more pressure; we are pushing each other. Obviously, it’s a good thing because we know each other every tournament and we know each other very well. It puts a big smile (on my face) when I see friends or other people winning and I know that I can win as well. But on the results, it doesn’t make a big difference.

Sportskeeda: Jannik Sinner has been a force the past 12 months. He's also been dealing with a tough ordeal off the court. Do you take inspiration from what he's been doing despite his circumstances?

Mattia Bellucci: For sure he’s dealing with some big issues. So I think that about his game and how he’s managing to dealing with his emotions on the court – he’s doing a very good job. Obviously I don’t know the details about the situation so I don’t want to give any opinion about it. I think that he’s dealing with the pressure very well but I had no doubts about it.

Sportskeeda: Moving on to the fun part, I couldn't help but notice your hairdo. You mirror a young Roger Federer. Is that what you were going for?

Roger Federer pictured at Wimbledon 2003 - Image Source: Getty

Mattia Bellucci: Me? Okay. (smiles) I’m not going for it but it’s definitely a good thing for me. I’m happy about it. I used to watch many matches of him when he was younger. And I also really like vintage tennis – watching the early 2000s is definitely inspirational. Maybe because of the hairstyle; maybe because of the bandana – I don’t know (smiles), but I’m trying to bring something a little bit different – trying to express myself not only with tennis but also with style and what I like. That’s a good thing (the Roger Federer comparison). But nobody told me before.

Sportskeeda: Who were your tennis idols growing up?

Mattia Bellucci: I really liked Rafa (Rafael Nadal) because he is lefty and I am lefty, so he’s always been my idol. Growing up I really liked other players from my generation but I also liked Andre Agassi because of his timing and John McEnroe for touch.

Sportskeeda: If you don't mind, could you tell us more about your tattoos?

Bellucci pictured at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam - Image Source: Getty

Mattia Bellucci: These are Japanese tattoos. I did them in the preseason. I was thinking about it and I had a friend that definitely has big art in these tattoos. I don’t know if I’ll make them bigger but for sure they’ll have more paint on it. They’ll be colored.

Sportskeeda: Carlos Alcaraz has been getting inked to celebrate his milestones. Should we expect something similar from you?

Mattia Bellucci: I don’t think so (smiles). It’s a Japanese tattoo so you normally do like a full body. But I don’t see myself doing something to celebrate.

Sportskeeda: Could you tell us about your family and how you decided to pursue tennis?

Mattia Bellucci: My father (Fabrizio) is a tennis coach. I started playing tennis with him. And I was with him until I was 18-19. I started with him and then I switched to this coach (Fabio Chiappini) for four years now.

I’m always trying to keep contact with them, my father and my mother. They are living in Milan and that’s also the place where I live and where I’m practicing, so that’s good because I get the chance to see them quite often.