Atp Finals, here are the Berrettini groups with the giants

Matteo Berrettini avoided Novak Djokovic. At the moment. The draw for the Atp Finals placed “Matte”, the first Italian to play the year-end tournament twice, in the Red Group, that of the number 2 of the world and defending champion Daniil Medvedev which also includes the n.3 Sascha Zverev and the number 9 Hubert Hurkacz, while the Djoker leads the Green Group – the colors are in honor of the Italian flag – together with Stefanos Tsitsipas (n.4), Andrey Rublev (n.5) and Casper Ruud (n.8) who with his 22 years is the youngest of the cast.

It didn’t go badly, considering that Number One, which has already won the Finals five times, this year stopped “Matte” in three out of four Grand Slams: in the quarterfinals at the US Open and at Roland Garros, and in the final that everyone remember in Wimbledon. The Masters – the old name of the Finals – has been the most diabolical tournament there for 51 years. You can also win by losing a match, it has often happened, and sometimes those who get by by a hair in the group turn into a lion along the way. Djokovic, the man who came one step away from the Grand Slam in September, is best to mark him at a distance (as long as possible).

The ceremony last night was held under the arches of the Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin, a sacred place of Italian industry, and from Sunday it will be the turn of the tennis players to put the spectacular Finals mechanism into operation at the Pala Alpitour. The hand of Gerry Armstrong, historic chair judge and supervisor of the ATP, divided them into the two “construction sites”. The most balanced to the eye is the “Red”, that of Berrettini who has a negative balance both with Zverev (1-3) and with Medvedev (0-2) and in a draw (1-1) with Hurkacz. An incandescent group, given the talents as great thugs – especially in the service – of four “pivots” that exceed 1.5 meters. he beat again this year in the final in Madrid and that ours was able to defeat only in 2019 in Rome: at home, with the public in favor, just like in Turin.

The Green Group apparently gives the green light to Djokovic, who finds himself in the company of a Tsitsipas sore in the shoulder since the Bercy tournament (in case Jannik Sinner is ready to replace him), a Rublev who since mid-October has played little and won just a match, and by the intruder Ruud, the least suited to fast surfaces. But go and trust the Finals and their evil gears. –