ROLAND GARROS

May 28, 2026

Matteo Berrettini

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/A. Rinderknech

6-4, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Well played today. How was it to be back on this court after all your problems?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Thank you. It feels special. I'm happy. I was happy today when I woke up. Yesterday when I knew that I was playing on center court, you know, it's been many years, I knew the atmosphere would have been amazing, and I just missed, like, playing these kind of matches and enjoying these kind of matches. I'm really proud of the work that I've done to come back and to feel good again.

I know it's a big step, but it's not, obviously. Us tennis players are always looking for something more, but I think this is one of those matches that I'm going to remember, you know, because it's a night match against a French player. It feels good.

Q. Did you watch the big upset of the day with Jannik out? Do you have news from him? I don't know. Did you look at the draw now that Jannik is out, you are the only one having a final in major left in the draw, so I don't know (laughter). It's just a question.

MATTEO BERRETTINI: Of course, I have seen what happened to Jannik, which is really unfortunate, and I wish him -- the only thing, I've seen him before he was leaving, and I told him to, you know, to get back as soon as possible.

He told me, yeah, yeah, good luck. You know, like, I've also seen in the press conference, he was, as always, really, you know, focused and sure about what he was saying will happen. It's part of the sport that we do.

I think what happened to him, it's not that rare. It happened to a lot of players. What he has done in the last weeks has never happened, so I think that is unbelievable, today happening. I'm sure he's going to be back on track, and he's going to show again the great champion.

One more thing, he handled the situation in a nice way. He didn't say anything. He was just trying. I think that's also what makes him a great champion.