- Endorsed Racquet: Head Auxetic Extreme Line (Previously the Pro but that is not offered at retail anymore)
- Actual Racquet: Head IG Extreme Pro – pro stock code TGT 285.2
- Strings: Signum Pro Firestorm at 23kg
This Italian hunk has been tearing up the tour with a booming serve and giant forehand to boot. He looks to be transforming into a perennial top ten player, His serve and forehand combine into a robust first-strike tandem that make him a threat to win any title.
Let’s not forget he was a Wimbledon finalist in 2021 as well. He may have won this year’s edition if he hadn’t contracted Covid and been forced to withdraw.
His 6 foot 5 inch frame and lanky wingspan let him create huge amounts of power and spin, allowing him to impose his will on his opponents.
When we look at equipment on the pro tour, the racquet often magnifies the player’s strengths, Matteo’s Head Extreme Pro does all that and more!
What’s Under the Paint?
Berrettini endorses the Head Extreme racquet line, and though he is the poster boy for the Pro model, he actually uses an old Innegra Extreme Pro 2.0 under the paint – this is a common practice across the industry. He has been using the IG Extreme Pro mold since his junior days.
The IG Extreme Pro is a great racquet for power and spin, so it’s a perfect match for somebody wanting the most out of their already powerful strokes.
Though some paintjobs are less obvious, you can easily see the rounder shape in the hoop of Matteo’s racquets compared to the newer, more oval, Extreme mold.
The throat geometry is different too, matching the older model. TGT285.2 is Head’s pro stock code for this racquet for the true racquet nerds out there!
Strong Guy? Heavy Racquet
Like the majority of professional players, Matteo adds weight to his racquets. His reported strung specs are 350 grams (353 with dampener), 33.2 cm balance, and 353 swingweight as confirmed by his stringer/customizer on Instagram.
The sizeable heft and beefy swingweight of this already powerful racquet equip Berrettini with even greater access to power, spin, and stability than using the racquet in its stock form.
This is pretty common for professional players. Often, these guys can handle the extra weight and get all of the benefit from adding it.
Berrettini’s String Setup
As for strings, Matteo used Signum Pro FireStorm for years. Until this year, he had their stencil on his strings. According to the same Instagram post providing the specs, he strings a full bed of this round polyester at 23 kilos (50.7 pounds).
This is lower than I would have expected given his powerful game but keeps with the trend on the pro tour of going lower tension with polyester strings.
His shorter takeback on groundstrokes and the stiffer nature of his string may play into his lower-than-expected tension too.
Let’s Hope He Doesn’t Change Anything
As we can see, Matteo Berrettini is a perfect example of a professional player using equipment that maximizes the strong points in their game.
He doesn’t seem to have changed anything about his racquets in the past. Given his solid results as of late, it seems like he’ll be sticking to the same racquet for a long time. He’s a wonderful epitome of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
If you’re interested in other ATP players’ racquets, I listed all the top 100 players’ racquets in this post.