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Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini trained together in Monte Carlo on Thursday, but more interesting than that are the nicknames the duo have chosen for themselves.
Posting a photo from their session together on Instagram, Tsitsipas referred to him and Berrettini as Thor and Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which in turn drew inspiration from Norse mythology.
"Thor and Loki hitting the tennis court this morning," Tsitsipas wrote.
Interestingly, Berrettini had referred to himself as Thor a few days ago, posting a photo of himself along with a replica of the Norse God's hammer, Mjolnir. Nicknamed the 'Hammer' on the ATP Tour for his powerful forehand, it was another inside reference from the Italian.
"Heavy session on the forehand today," Berrettini captioned the photo.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in action at Rotterdam next, Matteo Berrettini's next destination unclear
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini had contrasting results at the 2023 Australian Open, with one reaching the final and the other falling in the first round. While the Greek ended up losing to Novak Djokovic in the summit clash, Berrettini fell in his opener to three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in a thrilling five-setter.
Up next, Tsitsipas is scheduled to play next at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where he is the top seed. He will be joined by the likes of Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Zverev, and others, making for a very strong line-up. Tsitsipas went all the way to the final of the tournament last year, falling to Auger-Aliassime.
Speaking to the press recently, Tsitsipas remarked that he has learnt a lot from the Australian Open loss at the hands of Djokovic and that he is using the Serb as a role model to constantly keep bettering himself at the end of the day.
"I take Djokovic as an example, who for the last few years we thought he had reached the highest level that tennis has to offer and every year he shows that he is even better than the year before," Stefanos Tsitsipas said. "This inspires me and I have him as a role model at this time."
Berrettini, meanwhile, has not revealed his next destination just yet and is not part of any of the line-ups announced by tournaments as of now. The early exit at the Melbourne Major has greatly affected the Italian, who has exited the top 20 and is now ranked World No. 22.
