'It will remain with me' - Berrettini recalls Wimbledon match against Roger Federer

Roger Federer surprised tennis fans all over the world when he announced he would miss the rest of the 2020 season due to injury. Federer had already taken time off between the Australian Open and Wimbledon for recuperating from a right knee surgery, but another procedure on the same knee last month forced him to call it a year.

Fans of Roger Federer are of course speculating about his return, and whether or not he will be able to cope with the heavy competition after spending almost a year away from the tour. His main rivals - Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal - are right on his tail, and would be eager to close the gap.

The Swiss maestro, who is now in his 39th year, holds the all-time Grand Slam record of 20 titles, while Nadal (34) is at 19 and Djokovic (33) at 15. But out of all the incredible success that Roger Federer has seen over the years, his reign over Wimbledon is probably his most cherished.

The World No. 4 holds the record of most Wimbledon titles with eight, and always feels at home when he's playing on the fabled grass at Center Court. And youngster Matteo Berrettini, who played Roger Federer at Center Court last year, couldn't help gushing about that experience in a recent interview.

A very strong emotion: Matteo Berrettini on playing Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Matteo Berrettini (L) and Roger Federer at Nitto ATP Finals 2019

In an interview with Ubitennis, Berrettini talked at length about playing Roger Federer at Wimbledon and how it was a dream come true for the Italian.

"The game with Roger Federer will remain with me. Both for the score and for having played against him on Center Court. A very strong emotion," said Berrettini.

The two faced off against each other in the fourth round at the Championships last year, and Roger Federer breezed past the young Italian 6-1 6-2 6-2. Berrettini elaborated on his Wimbledon journey, and pointed out that his serve was off against Federer.

"I didn't serve well, and it happened. But other than that, the previous game with Schwartzman, or the one with Baghdatis because it was his last game, was also incredible."

The Italian, who has been competing at Patrick Mouratogolou's innovative new Ultimate Tennis Showdown, will now travel to Kitzbuhel to play in Dominic Thiem's invitational event. He expressed his desire to return to the tennis court under normal conditions, especially Wimbledon, which was cancelled in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"I certainly miss Wimbledon, I miss the 'normal' tournaments and the travel," said Berrettini.