Carlos Alcaraz and Matteo Berrettini have both enjoyed severe highs and lows on the ATP Tour in 2026 this year.
Berrettini enjoyed a return to form at Roland Garros, where he reached the quarter finals. His injury issues once again caught up with him, however, as he was forced to retire in his last eight match against Matteo Arnaldi.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, started the season with a flourish by winning the Australian Open. He followed it up by winning the Qatar Open, but that was the last title he has been able to collect.
He suffered early exits at the Sunshine Double and then suffered a wrist injury at Barcelona Open, which forced him to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
The pair have remained in positive spirits, however, as showcased by their recent communications on social media.
Berrettini shared a photo dump on Instagram alongside the caption: “Living is a bit like wasting time” and several tennis players took to the comments.
The likes of Tommy Paul and Andrea Pellegrino, and so did World No 3 Alcaraz.
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The Spaniard sent the message: “How well you know how to enjoy life,” which the former Wimbledon finalist replied to almost immediately.
The Italian responded: “Trying to learn from the best,” which several led several fans to flock to the comments.
Alcaraz and Berrettini are no strangers to each other on the court, having met four times previously on the ATP Tour.
However, the pair have not met for over three years, with their last match coming at Wimbledon in 2023. Alcaraz won the match in four sets to confirm his place in the quarter finals of the grass court Grand Slam, before he went on to win the tournament for the first time.
Alcaraz has also won two of his other three meetings with Berrettini. Those came at the Rio Open and the Vienna Open, both of which went the distance and required a deciding set.
Berrettini’s only victory against Alcaraz came at the 2022 Australian Open. The pair met in the round of 32 and played out a classic five set match, which was won by the Italian.
The Italian reached the semi finals of the Melbourne event that year, but his time in the competition came to an end at the hands of Rafael Nadal.
Berrettini and Alcaraz are both expected to be in action on the North American hardcourt swing, with the Spaniard appearing on the entry lists for the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
The Italian, meanwhile, withdrew from events in Gstaad and Kitzbühel in order to be ready for the North American swing.
