Berrettini wasn’t just trying for his first win over Djokovic. He was also looking for his first significant victory of 2025. After two seasons spent mostly on the sidelines due to injury, he found his way back into the conversation in 2024, and ended the year on a high, by teaming with Jannik Sinner to win the Davis Cup for Italy. In the past, Davis Cup success has propelled other players to career seasons—including Djokovic, in his memorable 2011 campaign—and Berrettini looked poised to ride that momentum higher. But instead of leaping out of the gate in 2025, he stumbled. He was 1-3 on the season coming into today.
From the start on Tuesday, Berrettini stood up on the baseline and traded punches with Djokovic. The points were spirited and fast-paced, with both guys jockeying for an immediate advantage. It looked like Djokovic had found it when he earned two break points at 3-2, but Berrettini, who finished with 13 aces, wiped them away with a series of hammer-blow serves.
By the tiebreaker, he had taken control. Berrettini won the first three points, and closed the set with a pair of forehand-backhand combinations that Djokovic couldn’t handle. The trend continued in the opening games of the second set, when Berrettini broke with an inside-out forehand, and held at love.
