It was love at first sight.
When Matteo Berrettini competes at the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing on Monday, there may be a few new fans making a racquet in the stands.
The 26-year-old, 6’5″ Italian powerhouse, who models for Hugo Boss, is serving up some serious heartache — and his admirers aren’t shy about putting the ball in his court.
“Someone help me out how do I start watching tennis for my new husband Matteo Berrettini,” one smitten fan tweeted.
“I’ve never watched tennis a day in my life but might start watching now because Matteo Berrettini,” tweeted Magge Chrstine.
But Berrettini isn’t stringing anyone along.
“I don’t really know what to say about that,” he told The Post. “Hopefully, they start liking my look, I guess, and then they eventually like the tennis as well.”
Matteo Berrettini kisses the trophy after winning the Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon.Getty Images
Berrettini poses in the Wimbledon locker room.Getty ImagesThe Roman native made history as the first Italian male to make it to the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events.
His runway career took flight when a Hugo Boss exec saw him being interviewed after losing at Wimbledon in 2021.
“I think one of the reasons why they chose me is also my personality. I hope it is, that’s what they told me,” he said. “So I’m glad this thing is coming out when I play.”
Berrettini’s modeling career for Hugo Boss has also taken off.Although Berrettini, who is No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, never considered modeling as a side hustle, he said there was one person who was always did — his grandmother, Lucia.
“But I thought she was saying it more because you know, I’m her grandkid, so for your grandma, you are always the most beautiful person on the planet,” he said.
Although Lucia can’t travel much, her friends take photos of her grandson on billboards around the world and she sends those to him.
“In the beginning it was weird, but now it’s funny,” he said.
He was unaware of the roughly 11″x10″ billboard with his image in the Time Warner Center. He won’t get the chance to see it for himself, he said, “I’m gonna send my mom to take a picture.”
But he did have time for pizza.
Berrettini is set to take the court at the US Open on Monday.Stefano Giovannini On this New York trip, Berrettini made sure to stop and eat at Ribalta on East 12th. “A really good friend of mine is friends with the owner and he brought me there,” he said. “And I have to say, the pizza was really good … I feel like in New York, it’s not that easy to find good Italian food, but when you find it, it feels like Italy.”
His father, Luca and mother, Claudia will be at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center cheering him on as they typically do. “When they can, they always come to big tournaments especially,” he said.
The accomplished athlete, who in 2021 was the first Italian to play in the Wimbledon singles finals, falling four sets to Novak Djokovic, made headlines at the fourth round of the Open last year for his kindness on the court.
Berrettini pictured pictured during a match in Montreal this spring.USA TODAY SportsWhen he defeated Germany’s Oscar Otte — who suffered a wrist injury and fell over the net during the match — he gestured for the crowd to applaud Otte instead of him.
“I try to be as fair as possible, it’s true that it’s your opponent, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get injured or he’s gonna fall and I’m not gonna help him,” he said.
