"I talked to Paolo Maldini a lot, it gave me a lot of confidence"- Matteo Berrettini on Italian football legend's help during injury struggle

Matteo Berrettini has revealed that Italian football legend Paolo Maldini helped him during the former's struggles with injuries.

Maldini is one of the most decorated footballers in history, having played for AC Milan from 1984 to 2009 and the Italian men's national team from 1988 to 2002. While he could not taste World Cup or European Championships glory with Italy, he won 26 trophies in the famous red and black jersey of AC Milan. Following his retirement from football, I Rossoneri decided to retire the No. 3 jersey in his honor.

Berrettini, whose tennis career has been plagued by injuries in recent years, recently spoke about the help he had received from the football legend during a live-streaming press conference.

"I am surrounded by a lot of strong athletes who love me and who have been injured, and have helped me, one of these is Paolo Maldini, I talked to him a lot, it gave me a lot of confidence." the former ATP World No. 6 said in the press conference (via Corriere dello Sport).

Maldini himself went through numerous injury-stricken periods during his illustrious football career. Most of them stemmed from knee problems. For instance, in December 2001, he tore his knee ligaments, which kept him out of action for 96 days. Four years later, he suffered another knee problem, which sidelined him for over 100 days.

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Matteo Berrettini is keen on playing at the Miami Open

Matteo Berrettini at the 2024 Australian Open

Matteo Berrettini was slated to play at this year's Australian Open. The Italian had even arrived in Melbourne and started preparing for his first-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, on 14 January — the day the tournament's main draw matches kicked off — organizers announced that he would not be playing after sustaining a foot injury.

"Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the Australian Open with a right foot injury. He will be replaced in the draw by Zizou Bergs. Wishing you a quick recovery," read a statement issued by the organizers.

During his live-streaming press conference, the former World No. 6 said that he intends to play at the Miami Open. However, instead of directly returning to competitive tennis in Miami, Berrettini said that he would play a Challengers tournament to get in the right shape.

"I won't play Indian Wells, the idea is to play Phoenix (Challengers tournament) and the Masters 1000 in Miami,"

The 27-year-old also expressed his desire to play at the Rome Masters — a tournament that he has missed over the last two years.