Challenger
Bellucci: ‘Studying is just not 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 exhibits 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 Court docket 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 a virtually three-hour Cary Challenger title match. Via all of it, Bellucci is embracing the teachings realized alongside the best way.
“Studying is just not a straight line and [I need] to provide myself time,” Bellucci advised the ATP Challenger Tour media crew. “Whenever you put the appropriate vitality and you actually search for one thing new throughout observe 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 qualifying at three consecutive majors this 12 months: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Bellucci drew a troublesome first-round opponent at every match. He confirmed a excessive degree 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 positively the spotlight,” Bellucci mentioned. “It was very good. From the start of the match, I felt fairly relaxed despite the fact that I used to be enjoying Stan in an enormous 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 appropriate issues throughout observe. Happening court docket with the appropriate conduct and combating for each level was the important thing.”
What else helped Bellucci submit 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 is just not bringing the outcomes, to me not less than,” Bellucci mentioned. “Give attention to the efficiency and what you need to do, not what the results of the match is.”
