Then-No. 6-ranked Matteo Berrettini quickly came to a halt on a court in Melbourne as the ball zipped by him during a practice session at the 2022 Australian Open. His frustrated face turned into a smirk as he turned toward his practice partner—then-No. 40 in the WTA rankings and romantic partner Ajla Tomljanović.
“You are hitting really good,” said Berrettini on Netflix’s Break Point as the two gathered at a nearby bench for a water break. Berrettini then wiped the sweat off his face with Tomljanović's towel, confirming the two are more than just practice partners. The relationship that began in 2019 over Instagram messages had since turned into something much more serious.
Intra-office relationships are often frowned upon because of their potential to disrupt the workplace environment. The primary reason people find themselves in these relationships is that they want to have someone close who can relate to what they’re going through, such as dealing with a difficult boss or client.
And while being a professional tennis player isn’t a common occupation, the pressure of winning matches and tournaments takes a toll on every player from the top seed to a qualifier.
That year’s Australian Open proved to be a difficult one for Tomljanović, as she fell in the first round to No. 8 seed Paula Badosa in straight sets. Berrettini, on the other hand, was at the peak of his career in both ranking and tournament success, having fought No. 1 Novak Djokovic to a four-set loss in the finals at Wimbledon in 2021. Seeded at No. 7, Berrettini would go on to the semifinals in the Australian Open before losing to Rafael Nadal in four sets, pushing another one of the sport’s greats to the limits.
As a result of two opposite performances, the two weeks that followed were rather awkward. Tomljanović sat idly by while Berrettini continued to win. She appeared happy to see him succeed, but naturally, she would find it difficult not to become a little bit jealous. She left Australia before Berrettini finished playing, and the two would not be together again until Indian Wells, which took place two months later. The pair has since split.
Athletes have to handle a lot of delicate relationships on and off the court; coaches, agents, teammates, trainers, parents and spouses, all of whom play a significant role in that athlete’s life, also have opinions about what the athlete in their life should do.
Serena and Venus Williams are prominent examples of that. Their father’s occasionally harsh training tactics built them up to the dominant players they were. There have also been instances where children of famous athletes are forced to endure a huge amount of pressure because of the preset expectations that fans put on them because of their parents’ success.
The first few days of Roland Garros have seen multiple relationships in which both partners are competing in the tournament: No. 9 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and unseeded Badosa; No. 2 seed and 2024 Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and 2019 U.S. Open champion Anna Kalinksaya; No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina and Frenchman Gael Monfils. Monfils and Kalinksaya lost earlier today.
Given how important the mental aspect of sports is rapidly becoming, situations like these add another dynamic to the sport. Each athlete already has to solve issues within their own game and stay in peak condition, but having to contemplate a romantic partner’s similar lifestyle creates a potentially distracting scenario that we don’t have much of a history of understanding.
The tennis world has been undergoing a slow transition from old-school players, such as Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer on the men’s side, to a new era of tennis—never more apparent than after Nadal suffered his first-ever first-round loss at Roland-Garros on Monday. And in the women’s game, the Williams twins embraced an old-school style, as opposed to the seemingly countless modern players of which play the game much differently.
This change has been ongoing for some time as the game’s legends have succumbed to injury, but it became especially clear when Carlos Alcarez defeated Djokovic in a five-set thriller to win Wimbledon in 2023. Alcaraz and youngsters like him boast feisty play styles and often engage with the crowd when they win points. On the other hand, veterans like Djokovic possess much calmer demeanors and keep to themselves, never allowing their opponents to impact their mental game.
The emergence of a new generation of tennis players has coincided with the emergence of social media and documentaries like Break Point, which create even more opportunities for distraction. That’s not to say the internet is a negative influence on tennis since many players utilize it for media and brand deals, but it cannot be taken out of the equation when it comes to evaluating a player.
As players are increasingly put in the limelight, the way that they navigate the evolving tennis landscape will continue to play a role in their performance on the court. That makes the role of those who surround them all the more important.