Matteo Berrettini, once a finalist at Wimbledon, currently finds himself outside the top 100 rankings.
The Italian, who made it to the final at the All England Club back in 2021, has had a rough stretch over the past few years on the ATP Tour.
Injuries have been a constant issue for Berrettini since 2023, and getting back to his previous form has proven difficult.
The latest blow came with a first-round exit at his home tournament, the Italian Open. It's been another year without much to celebrate for him so far in 2026.
Despite that, Berrettini remains positive about what lies ahead after recently hiring former world number four Thomas Enqvist as his coach.
Photo by Eddie Jim/The Age via Getty Images
During a conversation with Punto de Break, Berrettini was asked if returning to the top 10 is still on his agenda. He replied: "Yes and no.
"Of course, reaching that level was a great memory for me, considering all the effort I put into my life, but then I realised how essential it was to enjoy the career I'm having.
"If I now reach 'only' the top 20, I won't see it as a bad thing; at this point, being in the top 20 has become a real challenge.
"I certainly aim to improve my ranking and compete with the best; hopefully, in a few months, I can achieve that.
"But as I said, if I don't return to the top 10, it's not the end of the world," concluded Berrettini, who is playing at a Challenger event in Valencia this week ahead of Roland Garros.
The Italian is set to play in a Challenger event in Valencia this week as he prepares for Roland Garros later this month.
Matteo Berrettini's record in ATP Tour-level events this season stands at 8-8.
Looking back on his year so far, he said: "Physically, it has been good, which was the main goal at the start of the season.
"I couldn't play in Australia because I wasn't in the ideal situation, but I did well in the South American swing and performed quite decently in the US.
"Then, things went well for me in Monaco on clay, but not so much in the subsequent tournaments. I'm here chasing that competitive edge at the highest level.
"It's not easy today with such a competitive circuit, but physically, we're fine, and mentally too. We need to work on confidence to step up in the competition; I know I can play well and win many matches."
His best showing this season came at an ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, where he reached the quarter-finals.
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