Matteo Berrettini will start 2025 with a new agency to lead his brand, as it was announced this week that the former Wimbledon finalist and world number 6 will now be represented by IMG.
Berrettini had previously been represented by LJ Sports Group, an agency founded in 2020 and owned by former Top 5 player Ivan Ljubicic. IMG announced the addition of Berrettini to its clientele on social media, adding that the former tennis face of luxury fashion house Hugo Boss will also be represented by IMG Models for his off-court endeavours.
Read more: Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini walk the catwalk in Milan for BOSS But a change of agency was not the only breaking news for Berrettini this week. It came in tandem with another announcement on Tuesday that the Italian has also signed on as a tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. ‘Partnerships are everything in tennis,’ Berrettini said in a video posted on social media by PIF. ‘A great partnership is based on shared values and goals.’
Berrettini follows newly-retired Rafael Nadal in partnering with tennis in Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom continues to make inroads into the sport after signing on as a naming partner of the ATP and WTA rankings and initiating the start of a three-year deal to host the year-end WTA Finals in 2024.
Amid fan criticism, Nadal signed on as ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation in January, praising the ‘potential’ for tennis growth there and pledging to open a branch of his namesake Rafael Nadal Academy in the kingdom.
Berrettini echoed similar sentiments. ‘One of my roles is to inspire the next generation, the youth, the children,’ Berrettini added. ‘Together with the PIF I will be able to do that. ‘This is one of the greatest things I can do.’
After ending the 2024 season by teaming up with Jannik Sinner to help Italy win its second consecutive Davis Cup title, Berrettini will begin his 2025 at the Brisbane International, which starts on 30 December, alongside Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe and Nick Kyrgios.
Leave a comment