Jannik Sinner: “Matteo Berrettini has helped me in the past and if he needs something, I'll do it too”

Jannik Sinner recently expressed his wish to see his compatriot Matteo Berrettini compete on the men's circuit again.

Berretini's last competitive appearance came in August 2023 at the US Open. He advanced to the second round with a straight-sets victory over France's Ugo Humbert in the opener. In his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech, however, he injured his right ankle and was forced to retire.

In October, Berrettini ended the season citing medical complications.

“Despite training at a high level for a few weeks, my medical team has advised it would be a risk to compete in the final tournaments of the ATP season. It has been very difficult to accept this but I need to do what is best for next season and my long-term career,” he wrote on Instagram.

Consequently, he was unable to contribute to Italy's 2023 Davis Cup triumph but cheered for his compatriots, including Jannik Sinner, from the stands. Furthermore, his 2024 season began on a disappointing note as he was forced to pull out of the Australian Open men's singles draw due to the injury.

Sinner, who eventually emerged as the Australian Open champion, addressed the media at the Colosseum in Rome and talked about Berrettini's contribution to his tennis journey.

"I hope Berrettini comes back soon, we need him. Berrettini complimented me like all the Davis players. We need him on the circuit. He has helped me in the past and if he needs something I will do it too," Sinner said (via Rai News 24).

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A look into Jannik Sinner's Australian Open 2024 campaign

Jannik Sinner holds the Australian Open men's singles trophy.

Jannik Sinner notably didn't lose a set until the semi-final stage of the Australian Open 2024.

He kickstarted the fortnight in Melbourne with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win over Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp in the opener. He faced another Dutchman, Jesper de Jong, in the second round and clinched a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win.

Sinner met his first seeded opponent in the form of Argentina's Sebastian Baez in the third round. He defeated the 26th seed 6-0, 6-1, 6-3. He then downed Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, he went past Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3.

The Italian locked horns with Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. He secured the first two sets quickly but Djokovic fought back to win the third. But the Italian kept his cool and crossed the line with the scoreline reading 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 in his favor.

Jannik Sinner downed Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Rod Laver Arena and won the Australian Open for the first time in his career.