The Wimbledon star has a wild love life
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini is targeting a return to glory at SW19 this week, with a massive third-round clash against Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court on Saturday. Much has been made of both players’ romantic histories, with Dimitrov having previously been linked to Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger.
Berrettini formerly dated fellow tennis pro Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, but his wild love life with Melissa Satta is the most eye-catching.
American-born Italian model and television presenter Satta, who is 10 years Berrettini’s senior, began seeing the Rome-born player in 2023. Prior to that relationship, however, she was wed to ex-Tottenham and Barcelona footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng.
She shares one child with the Ghana international, called Maddox Prince. Nevertheless, she also drew headlines for remarks she made regarding her intimate life with her husband of four years.
“The reason why he is always injured is because we have sex seven to ten times a week,” Satta said of her relationship with Boateng. “I hate foreplay, I want to go straight for it. I prefer to be on top so that I can be in control.
Yet she was also cautious about her statements creating a certain image, telling Italian media: “You have to be very careful about what you say in football, especially when it comes to sex. Just because we have sex so often doesn’t make me a nymphomaniac.”
Satta and Berrettini were an item for just over a year, parting ways in early 2024. “What I can say is that we had a beautiful, intense relationship and we have great respect for each other,” the tennis ace revealed.
“I won’t go beyond this, I don’t like sharing my private life too much. Nothing special happened.”
Berrettini has only one Grand Slam final under his belt, which was at Wimbledon in 2021. He was defeated by Novak Djokovic then and could potentially face the Serbian again in this year’s final if both players advance to the end.
The Italian hasn’t made it past the fourth round at SW19 since, but he could edge closer if he triumphs over wild card Dimitrov on Saturday. He reached this point following a thrilling first-round victory over Stan Wawrinka, which included an 18-16 tie-break win in the second set, and a four-set win over Arthur Fils.
“I think it’s really important in us tennis players that you always have the confidence when you step on court,” the 30-year-old said after his win against Fils. “When you don’t have that, it means you really have to stop for a little bit and try to figure out why you don’t feel confident like that. You can always lose. There’s only going to be one winner these next two weeks, so someone is going to lose, for sure.
“I know my level. I know I can win against anybody. I know I can make trouble for anybody, especially on this surface. I also know that I can lose matches. This fine line between fear and confidence, it’s really important in tennis.”