Matteo Berrettini has surprisingly been left out of Italy’s Davis Cup squad for the upcoming Finals with rumours suggesting it is due to a strained relationship with team-mate Lorenzo Musetti.
Berrettini has been part of his country’s Davis Cup-winning teams for the past two seasons, but he won’t feature at the 2026 edition in Bologna as captain Filippo Volandri has opted for a team of Flavio Cobolli, Luciano Darderi, Musetti, Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli.
“As usual, these call-ups are based on current rankings,” Volandri told Italian media. “The next few weeks leading up to our new Davis Cup adventure will be crucial for me. My entire staff and I will work to assess each player’s condition to determine their availability, so we can field the best possible lineup.
“We know we have a very strong team, thanks to a wide roster of players, including Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, and Lorenzo Sonego, key players in past seasons.”
With world No 1 Jannik Sinner unavailable for selection due to injury, world No 6 Cobolli is the highest-ranked player with Darderi at No 23 in the ATP Rankings and Musetti at No 26. Vavassori and Bolelli will be the doubles pairing as they are seventh and 10th, respectively.
ATP News
Berrettini missed the cut as he sits at No 48, but some believe that his omission from the squad is due to personal reasons following reports that his relationship with Musetti has broken down.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Musetti – who has two young children with his partner Veronica Confalonieri – had an affair with Berrettini’s ex-partner Vanessa Bellini.
At first it appeared to be wild internet speculation, but on Monday Berrettini produced an uneasy interview after he was asked about Musetti following the latter’s win over Taylor Fritz in the Lyon Open final on Sunday to lift his first trophy since 2022.
After his first-round win over Tomas Etcheverry at the Vienna Open, the 30-year-old was asked: “Your friend Lorenzo Musetti has just won a title for the first time in a while, does that serve as inspiration?”
The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up was clearly uncomfortable and then asked “Is this live?” and after he was told “yes, we are live”, he gave a diplomatic answer after a sigh and an awkward laugh.
“It’s okay. I know he worked really hard to come back and I guess he deserved it.”
He then walked away from the camera to signal the end of the interview.
SO SHADY LMAOOOOO https://t.co/BjmVZ8ylrV
— perk!! #5INLONDON 🎾🇦🇺 (@perkszee) October 26, 2026
To add to the speculation, the pair have also unfollowed each other on social media.
Both Berrettini and Musetti were part of the 2024 Davis Cup-winning team while Musetti opted not to play in the 2025 edition as he made himself unavailable for selection.
