Majchrzak, ranked 109th in the world, came back from a set down to beat the Italian 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3 in just over three hours on Monday.
'Most beautiful victory of my life'
The 29-year-old Pole called it "the most beautiful victory of my life."
"Berrettini is one of the best grass-court players in the world. He’s beaten the top guys, he’s played in the final here. Just getting to play him was already a great experience,” Majchrzak said after the match.
The pair had trained together just last week, unaware they would soon face off in the first round of Wimbledon.
Berrettini, a 2021 Wimbledon finalist and winner of 10 ATP titles, had never previously lost in the opening round at the All England Club.
He praised Majchrzak’s performance, saying: "He played well, very solid. Congratulations to him. He played a really good match."
A powerful comeback
For Majchrzak, Monday’s win marked a powerful comeback. He had not played at Wimbledon since 2022, when he exited in the first round, as he had also done in his 2019 appearance.
His last second-round Grand Slam appearance was at the 2022 Australian Open.
After that, his career was derailed by a doping suspension. In 2022, several tests revealed banned substances in his system.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concluded that Majchrzak had not knowingly or deliberately taken the substances, but he was still handed a 13-month ban.
As a result, he lost all his ATP ranking points and only began climbing back up the rankings in January last year.
'Probably the highest-ranked player I’ve beaten'
“The past few weeks have been tough again, tennis-wise, not personally," he said. "I came here on a losing streak of maybe seven or eight matches. This win feels really good. It’s probably the highest-ranked player I’ve beaten, seeded at Wimbledon. Whatever happens next, this is already a beautiful story for me."
In the second round, Majchrzak will face 89th-ranked American Ethan Quinn on Wednesday.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP