Matteo Berrettini rediscovers confidence after years of struggle to enter French Open equation

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berrettini-matteo/OhwtM7N8/"]Berrettini[/a], a former world ‌number six, has struggled with fitness issues and missed eight ‌of the 18 Grand Slams since his runner-up finish to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Novak ‌Djokovic[/a] at Wimbledon five years ago.[/p][p]On Saturday, the Italian prevailed in a gruelling five-hour battle with Argentina's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/comesana-francisco/SxKK0RUD/"]Comesana[/a], winning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/berrettini-m-OhwtM7N8/comesana-f-SxKK0RUD/?mid=dtjt9iEU"]7-6(3), 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(13)[/a].[/p][p]"I know what it takes to go deep ‌in a slam, but at the same ⁠time, it's also true that ‌I haven't been deep in a slam for a long time," ​Berrettini told reporters after his win.[/p][p]"[b]Coming into the tournament, I didn't have the confidence, like I had ​a couple of years ago, but at the same time, I feel like I have built this confidence up[/b].[/p][p]"[b]I'm ⁠in the fourth round, ​second week of Paris, means that I can go deep. I'm playing well. Today was, I think, a high-level match. My weapons are working, physically I'm there, and fingers crossed[/b]."[/p][embed guid="2aa5900f-c1a8-4c3e-83b0-0ffb5255feac" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2060768031316349419" social-type="twitter" /][p]After ‌the match, Berrettini appeared to be holding back tears as he waved to the crowd at Court Simonne Mathieu.[/p][p]"[b]I doubted about myself a little bit too much, I think, in the last months and years[/b]," the 30-year-old said.[/p][p]"[b]Even though I had unbelievable support from my family, from my friends, from my team, and everybody kept telling me that I still had it in me. Sometimes I just have ‌to confess that I thought that I couldn't come back, ​I couldn't feel good on court again[/b].[/p][p]"That's why I ‌was emotional, because I proved to myself one more time that I can do this, I can do it well, I can fight, I can enjoy my time on court."[/p][p]Berrettini next faces another Argentinian in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cerundolo-juan-manuel/A93TM7BR/"]Juan Manuel ⁠Cerundolo[/a], who beat world ⁠number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Jannik Sinner[/a] ‌in the second round.[/p]