Challenger
Bellucci: ‘Studying isn’t a straight line’
Italian discusses 2024 season
December 04, 2024
Yuri Serafini
Mattia Bellucci in motion on the Olbia Challenger, the place he reached the ultimate.
By Grant Thompson
Mattia Bellucci lights up the court docket with infectious vitality and a fierce aggressive drive. The 23-year-old lefty performs with daring depth, swings for the fences and reveals a spread of feelings.
The sort-spirited Italian is an entertaining participant to look at and this season, he continued his rise by successful his first main main-draw match on the US Open in opposition to former champion Stan Wawrinka and reaching his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Atlanta. Bellucci ascended to a career-high No. 100 within the PIF ATP Rankings final month and completed the season at No. 103.
There have been highs, like that Courtroom 17 win in opposition to Wawrinka in entrance of a packed New York crowd, and there have been obstacles, together with when Bellucci let slip two championship factors in an almost three-hour Cary Challenger title match. Via all of it, Bellucci is embracing the teachings realized alongside the best way.
“Studying isn’t a straight line and [I need] to present myself time,” Bellucci instructed the ATP Challenger Tour media staff. “Whenever you put the fitting vitality and you actually search for one thing new throughout apply and attempt to copy what you’re going to do within the matches, that’s when the outcomes come. Attempt to improvise.”
A 3-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Bellucci superior by means of qualifying at three consecutive majors this 12 months: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Bellucci drew a troublesome first-round opponent at every event. He confirmed a excessive stage when he pushed Frances Tiafoe to 5 units at Roland Garros and did the identical at Wimbledon in opposition to 14th seed Ben Shelton.
Then, Bellucci’s breakthrough victory got here at Flushing Meadows. With the gang closely supporting 2016 champion Wawrinka, Bellucci rose to the event and earned a memorable win.
“It was undoubtedly the spotlight,” Bellucci stated. “It was very good. From the start of the match, I felt fairly relaxed though I used to be enjoying Stan in a giant stadium.
“From enjoying Tiafoe at Roland Garros to enjoying Shelton at Wimbledon, I felt like the extent was coming and that I used to be doing the fitting issues throughout apply. Occurring court docket with the fitting conduct and combating for each level was the important thing.”
What else helped Bellucci put up some key wins and enhance in 2024? The Italian didn’t let the win-loss column outline his success. He shifted his focus to the method, believing that consistency and energy would result in progress.
“Specializing in the outcomes isn’t bringing the outcomes, to me no less than,” Bellucci stated. “Give attention to the efficiency and what you need to do, not what the results of the match is.”