Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying every relationship requires a lot of hard work owing to the communication and vulnerability involved, such things are much more complicated for professional athletes. After all, they already have their intense training sessions, tight match schedules, as well as rough recovery periods to manage, which has even been indicated in Netflix’s tennis-centric ‘Break Point.’ So for now, if you simply wish to learn more about one of this sport’s most prominent couples — well, sadly former couple — Ajla Tomljanović and Matteo Berrettini, we’ve got the details for you.
Ajla Tomljanović and Matteo Berrettini’s Journey
It was admittedly back in 2019 when Australian athlete Ajla got involved with Italian pro Matteo following him slipping into her Instagram DMs, just for them to soon fall head over heels in love. However, in the former’s own words in episode 2, “it wasn’t like love at first sight…it was something that, over time, grew,” to which her then-beau added he liked the fact she’s rather shy like him. It thus reportedly took them bonding over their shared aspirations and intense passion, along with having an unsaid, unwavering sense of understanding that really brought them close together.
Though it’s imperative to note the couple initially rarely talked about the sport while spending quality time with one another, which is what enabled them to move forward in their personal connection. “You can hear [some athletes] say they never date a tennis player because, I don’t know, they don’t like that they do the same thing, that it’s always about tennis,” Ajla once said. “In reality, we don’t talk about tennis a lot. [Yet] when we have the need, it’s really nice to talk to each other because we understand that the best… That’s a really nice thing, the understanding about the lifestyle and the priorities. It’s just nice to be on the same page. It definitely works.”
It hence comes as no surprise Ajla and Matteao supported one another at every step of the way, all the while especially enjoying training as well as playing tournaments simultaneously. The former was actually briefly featured in the original production, whereas they elaborated on the latter in a Wimbledon video upon making it to the 2021 quarterfinals in their respective fields. The former expressed, “I like when we both play at the same time… it takes away the stress of when you watch from the locker room,” which her then-boyfriend seconded by stating, “I feel ten times more stressed when I’m watching her match.”
Moreover, in another 2021 interview, Matteo gave us additional insight into not only his adoration for Ajla but also their seemingly unabashedly validating association as a high-profile athletic couple. “I know her, and I think I know how much she’s tough on herself,” he candidly declared. “I’m always telling her that she has to kind of tell herself that she achieved a lot during her career, and she has to enjoy what she’s doing.” But alas, despite the fact it appeared as if they were a tennis power couple that could one day take over the entire industry, Ajla and Matteao ended up parting ways for good sometime in early spring 2022.
Ajla Tomljanović and Matteo Berrettini Broke Up Due to Incompatibility
It was Matteo who actually broke the news of his split from Ajla during an open press conference in June 2022, but he never gave a concrete reason for the same despite there being constant questions about it. He simply stated, “I’m single, but it’s not like something that I am looking for, like, it’s not that I’m waking up and have to find love. It’s just something that is happening, it’s good for me, if it doesn’t, it’s another day, you know. But, yeah, overall, I’m spending more time with my team, I spent a lot of time with my family when I was injured, and I enjoyed a different kind of life a little bit.”
Nevertheless, the former couple has since broken their silence on this decision to separate in episode 6 of ‘Breaking Point,’ with Ajla asserting, “every relationship, it has good times and bad times. I could just feel that things were not right… You look for something that will last a lifetime, and it wasn’t meant to be.”
On the flip side, Matteo candidly conveyed, “We broke up because, in the end, in life, we have to be happy. And if that is not happening, I think [sticking together is] not worth it.” In other words, they just weren’t compatible enough to deal with the challenges that came their way, which actually turned out to be a good thing since both Ajla and Matteo now seem happier than ever before — the former is single at the moment, whereas the latter is apparently in a relationship with Melissa Satta.
Read More: What is Ajla Tomljanović’s Net Worth?
