Maestrelli e la wild card al Foro: “Giocare nel torneo più prestigioso d’Italia è un privilegio” [ESCLUSIVA]

After the clear victory in the first round match against Hugo Grenier, Francesco Maestrelli continues his run at the Roma Garden Open. The 21-year-old from Pisa, ranked 221 in the world, qualifies for the quarterfinals of the Challenger in Rome after a challenging match against the Spaniard Taberner, ranked 330 in the ATP. The Tuscan wins the match with a score of 6-4 7-5 after over two hours of play.

The match was very closely contested from the beginning, with 4 of the first 5 games going to deuce. Despite the break points, the game continued to follow the serving pattern. Maestrelli’s pressure in response, however, managed to break Taberner’s resistance with a decisive break in the seventh game. The Italian had two set points in response, but the Spaniard managed to save the situation. After missing another set point in the tenth game, Maestrelli closed it out on his fourth opportunity for a 6-4 victory.

In the second set, Maestrelli showed great character by coming back from 2-5 down to win five games in a row. Taberner started strong in the second set, trying to take advantage of a slight drop in Maestrelli’s form. However, Maestrelli remained composed and aggressive in his response, with his powerful serve being a key weapon for the tall Tuscan player.

After the match, we spoke with Francesco Maestrelli about the game, his attempt to climb the rankings after a challenging 2023, the wildcard for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia qualifications, and more.

Q: Francesco, congratulations. It was a pretty tough match. Every game in the first set was quite hard-fought and then in the second set, you staged a great comeback from 2-5 down to win. What are your feelings after this match?

A: “I gained a lot of confidence both in terms of my game level, as I felt very good from the start, but also in terms of determination, consistency, and the ability to come back from a tough situation, also thanks to my opponent. He’s a really tough player to face, never gives up, so I’m really happy with the performance and the work I’m doing.”

Q: Last year you played in the qualifiers at the Foro Italico, winning a match against the Chinese player Zhang. This year, the Federation granted you a wildcard for the main draw.

A: “Yes, it’s an incredible emotion. Being able to play in the most prestigious tournament in our country is always an honor and a privilege. I thank both the Federation and everyone who made it possible. I’ll try to give my best as usual and we’ll see. It will be an important stage for my year.”

Q: This season has definitely started much better than 2023 (with a record of 27 wins and 38 losses, reaching a Challenger final in Montechiarugolo). 2022 was a great year for you. You won your first Challenger title in Verona and came close to the US Open main draw, losing a third set tie-break to Borges. It seems like you have the right feelings to restart. How do you feel in terms of confidence and what do you think you need to get back to that level?

A: “Certainly when you come from behind and have an exploit like that of 2022, it happens for many reasons. Both because they don’t know you and because you always play a bit freely and have nothing to lose. It’s never easy to confirm at those levels the following year. I also remember that the Challenger circuit is experiencing a significant increase in average quality, so you could lose and win against anyone. If you’re not careful, you could definitely lose to anyone. So I had a bit of difficulty in maintaining consistency, but I’m happy with the work I’m doing this year and I hope to continue it in the best way possible.”

Q: Last year you spoke out against the attitudes of fans on social media, receiving hateful messages after losses. How difficult is it for a player to deal with this situation?

A: “At first, it’s difficult because you don’t know what to expect. We basically use social media for work. I also used it as a distraction, but fundamentally for us, it’s a tool for work, so it’s not nice that in a place where you work, you’re constantly harassed by people who insult you. However, I’ve gotten used to it and even deleted my Instagram account, so I no longer have to deal with this kind of thing by choice. I only use social media once a day, just to see if someone has written to me to train or something. Unfortunately, you have to get used to it because that’s how the situation is.”