Matteo Viola: From beating Murray to the Masters World Championships
Matteo Viola’s biggest claim to fame is beating three-time Grand Slam and double Olympic champion Andy Murray in the Round of 16 at an ATP Challenger in Mallorca in 2019.
"It was one of the best matches of my career," Viola told itftennis.com. "I was not playing well for two or three years and had dropped in the rankings, but when I beat Andy Murray, a legend, this gave me a lot of confidence and unbelievable joy. I was very happy at the time and I am still very happy now."
Having retired from professional tennis in May 2022, Viola is once again on the victory trail and is bidding to lead the Italian Men's 35 team to glory at the 2023 ITF Masters World Team Championships in Antalya, Türkiye.
Before focusing on his newfound love for Masters tennis, Viola has one final story from the past. As well as beating one of the greats of the older generation on the ATP Tour, he has also competed against one of its modern-day stars – world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, this time losing at an ATP Challenger in Trieste in 2020.
Viola remembers that even though he was aged just 17, Alcaraz was a prodigious talent.
"I could see that he had something special," said Viola. "He was too fast, and he had an unbelievable forehand. He could do so many things on the court."
Viola spent the majority of his career on the ATP Challenger Tour and notably competed in Grand Slam Qualifying on 26 occasions, although reached a main draw just once. That was at the 2012 Australian Open where he eventually faced Colombia's Santiago Giraldo in the first round.
"I saved something like 10 match points across three Qualifying matches and after nine or 10 hours, I finally qualified for the Main Draw," Viola added.
"When I got to my match in the first round, I was dead. That said, it was still the best moment of my career. Qualifying is hard, it's like a jungle."
After calling time on his professional career, Viola is competing at his first Masters event. Asked what attracted him to the World Championships, Viola said: "I am enjoying tennis in a different way now. I am here because I still want to play matches, I enjoy playing in a team and spending time with friends here in Antalya."
He captains an Italy team that is among the favourites to triumph in the M35s, one of the most highly competitive age groups at this year’s World Championships.
Viola recognises that Italy, who are seeded No. 2 in Antalya, will face strong competition from a Germany team which includes three former ATP players.
Nevertheless, Viola is confident that, given his experience competing at the highest level, he can lead his team all the way to the title.
Follow all the draws and results from the Men's 35 Italia Cup.