Matteo Berrettini defeated Stan Wawrinka in straight sets in the first round of the US Open 2026, prevailing 7-6, 7-6, 6-0 on the Grandstand court at Flushing Meadows. The Italian won two hard-fought tie-breaks before pulling away in the third set, ending the Grand Slam career of the three-time major champion from Switzerland.
But the bigger story emerged off the court. Speaking to reporters after the match, Berrettini revealed that gamblers had threatened his family during this year's Roland Garros, with messages targeting his brother Jacopo.
"At Paris, the bettors threatened my family," Berrettini said. "Messages came to Jacopo's phone with threats to my family and things of that type." He added that the ATP had been notified and that authorities had phone numbers linked to the threats.
The 29-year-old Italian framed the incident within a broader pattern of gambling-related intimidation in professional tennis. He referenced Lucrezia Stefanini, an Italian player who received threatening messages at Indian Wells earlier this year, and described his own experiences at lower-level Challenger events.
"I've seen it particularly at Challengers, there were videos where it was really tough," Berrettini said. "We are thirty years old, we are adults, but if I think about the young girls and the younger players, receiving this kind of messages can be scary."
The comments came during a press conference that also addressed the US Open's newly announced partnership with Kalshi, a prediction market company serving as an official sponsor of the tournament. Berrettini said he was unaware of the deal until it was announced that morning.
"It's a complicated topic," he said. "If it is done in the right way, if it is managed in a controlled way — when I talk about betting, if it's something that doesn't lead to a degeneration of the game tied to betting — then it can also be something fun. I personally have never done it in my life and I don't think I'll start."
Berrettini drew a distinction between regulated betting and the shadow economy that targets players. "I think we need to protect the players and do everything possible to create a safe environment for everyone," he said. "We should create a stronger structure, I don't know, a stronger committee to protect the players."
The Italian also discussed his match, noting that his backhand slice proved effective against Wawrinka's heavy groundstrokes. "It's not easy to play top on top with Stan, because his ball is heavy and the more you give him rhythm, the more he pushes," Berrettini explained. "I thought the slice could be an important weapon and it worked well."
Berrettini's next opponent is compatriot Federico Navone, who upset Novak Djokovic in the previous round. "It will be a very complicated match, because we know each other very well, because the last time I lost, because he is playing well and he has raised his level on hard courts too," Berrettini said. "But I feel ready."
Sources
- https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2026/09/01/us-open-berrettini-a-parigi-gli-scommettitori-hanno-minacciato-la-mia-famiglia/
- https://www.puntodebreak.com/en/2026/09/01/berrettini-my-family-received-threats-from-some-gamblers-at-roland-garros
