Matteo Berrettini’s journey at the Italian Open has come to an end.
Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon Men’s Singles finalist, was defeated by Australian player Alexei Popyrin in the first round on Thursday.
Popyrin, the 2024 Canadian Open champion, defeated Berrettini 6-2, 6-3 on the Italian Open Centre Court.
It was a disappointing result for Berrettini, who would have hoped for a better outing at his home event.
The Italian was also caught up in a controversial moment at the start of the second set.
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Matteo Berrettini questions the umpire’s decision to call a let after a dampener flies off Alexei Popyrin’s racket
At 6-2, 0-0, 15-30, the chair umpire called a let midway through a rally – as captured by Tennis TV.
This was because Alexei Popyrin’s string dampener had flown off his racket midway through the rally.
The let was called just before Popyrin struck a forehand wide of the court.
The umpire told the Roman crowd: “The dampening device flew during the rally. We play a let.”
Berrettini took issue with the call and approached the umpire’s chair.
“I saw it,” the umpire told Berrettini, to which the Italian replied, “nobody saw it.”
The umpire then replied: “But how do I know? You know? I need to make a call.”
Berrettini then appeared to ask the umpire why she did not wait until the end of the point before calling a let, to which she replied: “I cannot wait until stop.”
The discussion continued, before Berrettini said: “It’s never let, it’s never let, it’s never let.”
“It’s let because it [the dampener] stayed on his [Popyrin’s] side,” the umpire interjected.
Berrettini said: “No, it’s not.”
“Why?” the umpire asked.
“Because all the time it flies away, you keep playing. Alexei you know as well,” the Italian explained.
The umpire then continued: “If I don’t see it, I don’t call it, right?”
“But it’s never let when you see this thing, never,” Berrettini replied.
Popyrin then offered his take: “The problem is, I would have given you the point if she didn’t say let. But she said let just before I hit my forehand.”
The umpire concluded: “Because most of the time we don’t see it. I just saw it because it came straight in front of me.”
Matteo Berrettini reacts to his loss
“It was a horrible day,” Berrettini said afterwards, as per Spanish outlet Punto de Break.
“This sport demands consistency, and with so many ups and downs, it is impossible to achieve long-term results. I did not maintain the intensity that characterises me.
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“The year started in a certain way, but the only way to move forward is by accepting these types of defeats.
“It’s a shame it had to happen in Rome, but you can’t choose.”
As for Popyrin, he will play 26th seed Jakub Mensik in the Italian Open second round.
Mensik, a former Miami Open champion, received a bye into the second round.
Mensik has won all three of his matches against Popyrin, dating back to the 2024 Umag Open.
Since then, Mensik has secured victories against the Australian in Vienna and Dubai.