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Compatriots Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini recently hit the practice courts together in Monte Carlo, as the latter prepares to make his comeback on tour.
The two Italians have had contrasting starts to the new season. Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set final after coming back from two sets down. He carried his good form into Rotterdam, beating Alex de Minaur to the title. Yet to lose a match in 2024, Sinner sits at a perfect 12-0 this season.
Berrettini, on the other hand, began the year by withdrawing from the Australian Open ahead of his first-round encounter against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to a foot injury that has kept him out of action for nearly six months. The former World No. 6 last played at the 2023 US Open where he retired mid-match in the second round against Arthur Rinderknech.
Berrettini took to social media on Tuesday, February 27, to give fans a glimpse of his practice session with his compatriot and current World No. 3 Jannik Sinner.
The duo looked in high spirits as preparations for the Californian desert swing continued in full flow. Berrettini posted a photo on Instagram and captioned it with hammer and fox emojis, referring to himself as the former, and Sinner as the latter.
"🔨 X 🦊," Berrettini captioned the photo.
Sinner reshared Berrettini's post on his Instagram story alongside a salute emoji.
Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini share a "wonderful relationship"
Despite being part of an incredibly competitive tour, Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini have maintained a healthy relationship with plenty of respect for each other.
During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Sinner said:
"We Italians are a nice group, we all respect each other even if we are all different."
Berrettini echoed Sinner's statements, reaffirming that they shared an incredible friendship. He also said that they share a lot in common despite being different individuals.
"Sinner's words make me very happy because I know they are true and honest. We have a wonderful relationship, perhaps even improved in this period. He was also close to me after Malaga, we spoke for a long time. We are different but also similar," Berrettini said (via Eurosport).
Before the recent practice session, the two were last pictured together at the 2024 Davis Cup which Italy lifted. Despite not playing, Berrettini was seen vehemently cheering his team on from the sidelines.
Matteo Arnaldi put the Italians up 1-0, with a win over Alexei Popyrin. Sinner once again came up clutch, putting on a clinical display against Alex de Minaur to take the match 6-3, 6-0, and give his country their first Davis Cup championship since 1976.
