Matteo Berrettini names the legendary football striker he would ‘love’ to meet

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Matteo Berrettini is hoping to meet this footballing legend at his first tournament of the 2026 season.

Berrettini is a former Wimbledon finalist and has a career-high ranking of world number six.

However, the Italian has dealt with many injury struggles over the years, which have continued into 2026 after Berrettini withdrew from the Australian Open.

As he attempts to play his first tournament of the 2026 season in Buenos Aires, Berrettini has named the Argentinian footballer he would love to meet and it is not Lionel Messi.

Matteo Berrettini wants to meet Gabriel Batistuta at the Argentina Open

Berrettini is present in Buenos Aires ahead of the 2026 Argentina Open, and prior to the tournament getting underway he was asked about football.

In his response, Berrettini spoke about his love for the sport and how much his father supports Italian club Fiorentina.

“I love football, I enjoy watching matches, especially my dad, who’s crazy about Fiorentina,” said Berrettini.

At this point, the interviewer jumped in to point out that Argentinian football legend Gabriel Batistuta played for Fiorentina.

Berrettini continued by revealing that his father always spoke about Batistuta, and how he would love to meet him at the Argentina Open this week.

“I was very young, but my dad has always talked to me about him,” continued Berrettini. “And in Florence, of course, he’s a crack, a legend. And I’d love to meet him, talk to him a bit about Italy, about Florence. And I don’t know if he likes tennis too. Hopefully we see each other here.”

Batistuta played for three Italian clubs in his career, but he was particularly successful for Fiorentina, for whom he scored 168 goals.

He also scored 56 goals for Argentina in his international career, and was his nation’s leading ever scorer until Messi surpassed his record in 2016.

Matteo Berrettini’s Potential Route to the Argentina Open title

While it is unclear as to whether Berrettini will actually get the opportunity to meet Batistuta, his first round opponent is confirmed.

This will be against former top 50 player Federico Coria, who is also the younger brother of former French Open finalist Guillermo Coria.

Berrettini has played Coria twice before, with both previous meetings on clay, with the former coming out on top in these encounters.

This will be the first match that Berrettini will be playing in 2026, as he looks to kick off his season in style.

Some of the other threats to Berrettini in his half of the draw include Francisco Cerundolo and defending champion Joao Fonseca.

Berrettini will play his first match of the 2026 season on Tuesday, February 10.