Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Preview
The German and the Italian, 27 and 28, respectively, came up together, and each has been through his share of ups, downs, injuries, and near misses at the majors.
Over the last year and a half, Zverev has been healthy and rising in the rankings, while Berrettini has continued to try to fight his way off the sidelines and back to his former Top 10 status. Despite his best efforts, and some strong performances, he has only made it to No. 34 so far. You can see part of the reason why from his Monte Carlo draw: When you’re not seeded, you tend to run into good players, like Zverev, early.
Zverev leads their head-to-head 4-2, though Berrettini won their most recent meeting, at Wimbledon in 2023. The question for Tuesday may be who’s feeling better about himself at the moment. While Zverev is ranked 32 spots higher and has reached two Grand lam finals in the last 10 months, he has been scuffling, and beating himself up about it, since January. Berrettini is just 9-6 on the year, but he may be happier about where his level is than Zverev is at the moment.
Still, Zverev is 2-1 against Berrettini on clay, and this is the surface where he found his game last year. Winner: Zverev
