ATP Cup: Dominic Thiem (Team Austria) vs Matteo Berrettini (Team Italy) Tennis Prediction

Austria’s #1 and world #3 Dominic Thiem faces Italian Matteo Berrettini in Group C action at the 2021 ATP Cup, during the Austria vs Italy tie. The match will be played on Tuesday February 2nd, 2021. The head to head is tied at 2 games apiece but very interestingly, Berrettini leads 2-1 on hard courts. They are coming off vastly different seasons in 2020, who will have what it takes to get the win here? 

Dominic Thiem had a fantastic 2020 ATP season, winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open and also reaching the final in Australia. He has shaken the “clay court specialist” tag and is now a firm favorite in every tournament he plays, despite the surface. He should be very motivated to do well here, as it is his main preparation for the Australian Open and the fact that he has never tasted much success with his country, something I am sure he would love to change. That being said, it will take a herculean effort on his part to get out of the group stages here, as the other teams have much more depth. 

Matteo Berrettini had a disappointing 2020 season by his standards, failing to capitalize on an outstanding 2019 season and falling out of the top 10. After some rough losses towards the end of the year he will be eager to get off to a good start here. Unfortunately for him, his first match comes against one of the best and most consistent players in the world in Dominic Thiem, who rarely, if ever has a bad game. Berrettini has a huge serve and groundstrokes and can match up well with the world’s best, however the mental game has let him down in the past, tending to over-hit the ball and go for unbelievable winners rather than continue to keep the ball in play. If he can keep his nerves and focus in check, it could make for an interesting battle. 

While Berrettini is certainly a very good player I think he will fall short here. Dominic Thiem is one of the hottest players on tour and almost never gives free points away. For an erratic payer like the Italian that spells disaster. Berrettini has beaten him twice in the past and will back himself, but I see Thiem winning here.