Matteo Berrettini, a renowned tennis player who has seen his fair share of victory ceremonies, recently had an experience of a lifetime, winning a rather unconventional tournament. The Italian sports star, who made it to the Wimbledon finals in 2021 and boasts 10 titles, was a part of an amusing competition, ending up with an £11 restaurant gift card and an unforgettable trophy ceremony in a parking garage.
In a surprising turn of events during the Indian Wells tournament, two retired tennis professionals, Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, popped up in a parking lot to honor Berrettini, the world’s 29th ranked player. The duo hosts the popular podcast, “Nothing Major,” and had recently orchestrated a light-hearted contest, which Berrettini had the fortune of winning.
John Isner and Jack Sock, former top-10 players, join Johnson and Querrey in hosting the podcast. The quartet recently delved into an amusing debate: who is the “hottest” ATP tennis player? The hosts created a “hottie bracket,” a fun contest mimicking a knockout tennis draw, where fans voted in each round for their favorite player until a champion emerged.
Among the contenders were the likes of British No. 1 Jack Draper and three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud. The final showdown boiled down to Berrettini and Tommy Paul, with Berrettini triumphing with 64% of the votes. Ecstatic with his win, Berrettini humorously claimed it as his 11th career title.
The “Nothing Major” hosts lived up to the tradition and conducted a unique trophy presentation. Berrettini was awarded a winner’s sash, a specially engraved trophy, and an £11 ($15) gift card to Olive Garden. The gift card was a humorous nod towards Berrettini’s Italian heritage.
The runner-up, world No. 11 Paul, was also acknowledged with a second-place trophy. However, he seemed less than thrilled as seen in the photos. The hosts, celebrating the victory, dubbed Berrettini as “The People’s Champion” on their Instagram account. They humorously documented the ceremonious awarding of the ‘Hottie Bracket’ championship trophy and Olive Garden gift card in a sun-soaked Indian Wells parking lot.
The retired hosts also cheekily mentioned that they deserved an Olive Garden deal after presenting Berrettini with the enlarged gift certificate. They even invited the restaurant chain to direct message them on Instagram.
After the memorable ceremony, Johnson noted, “Tommy said he will be working hard to avenge this tough loss!!”
Despite Berrettini’s victory in the “hottie bracket,” his performance in Indian Wells was less stellar, suffering a loss against Stefanos Tsitsipas in a challenging third-round match. Interestingly, Paul seems to have an upper hand over Berrettini in the Californian desert tournament, having advanced to the round of 16.