He had joked about padel while appearing on the popular Italian podcast Tintoria, hosted by stand-up comedians Daniele Tinti and Stefano Rapone: “My dad has converted to padel—he’s the Italian over-60 champion, and he’s so proud of it. Meanwhile, I’m in mourning…” he said, laughing and playfully teasing his father, Luca. When Matteo Berrettini arrives at the Miami Beach Convention Center with his dad, it’s time to settle things—lightheartedly, of course. “On Tintoria, we were just joking around, but I think it was clear that I really like padel, and I enjoy playing it too.”
As Matteo and his father walk around the site, Luca listens carefully, ready to jump into the conversation if needed. And sure enough, Matteo brings him back in: “I often play with my dad, of course, but never as partners because he plays on the left side, and so do I. So, can you imagine? He insists on playing diagonally against me—it’s madness! He doesn’t move, he just stands there…” Matteo bursts into laughter. Not far away, his father Luca fires back with a deep volley in this playful exchange of words: “Yeah, sure, I don’t move. I seem to remember things going quite differently on the court… and by quite a lot.” A fantastic father-son moment.
Later, Matteo reflects: “Well, there are big differences between padel and tennis. First of all, it’s a team sport because you have a partner. And then there are the walls, which aren’t easy to handle. Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do with them. Although, there are a couple of guys here,” he says with a laugh, pointing at Galán and Chingotto warming up before the final, “who could probably give me a few tips.”He continues: “I also play padel with other tennis players. Recently, I played with Volandri, my brother Jacopo, and Andrea Pellegrino, and we had a great time. Between training and tournaments, there’s not always a lot of time, but whenever I can, I love playing.”
Matteo also highlights another aspect of the sport: “It’s a very social game—it brings people together while they’re playing sports, and I think that’s an important thing to point out.” As they continue their tour of the motorola razr Miami Premier Padel P1 site, they stop near Chingotto and Galán. Hugs and smiles are exchanged, along with some chat about the Miami tournament, including Matteo’s tennis victory over Gaston. Then, talk shifts back to padel as Chingo jokes: “So, when are you making the switch to padel? And right at the end of their conversation, Matteo makes his choice: “If I had to pick my ideal partner here in Miami? Since I play on the left side in padel, I’d say Fede Chingotto.”