The look on Francesco Maestrelli’s face said it all Monday at Melbourne Park. The Italian had just defeated Terence Atmane in the first round of the Australian Open and he understandably struggled to hold back his tears.
“Very, very emotional. I dreamed a lot about these matches and for me, it was a dream to participate in the first [major main draw] of my career,” Maestrelli told ATPTour.com. “I didn't imagine winning a five-set match on my debut on the Tour, and I'm so excited and so happy.”
It was not only Maestrelli’s first major main draw match, but just his second tour-level match overall. The Pisa native’s only previous ATP Tour clash came in October 2022 in Florence. Now the 23-year-old will step straight into the spotlight.
Maestrelli will next take on 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. The Italian said he has watched the Serbian “millions of times”.
“They told me that there was the chance to play Djokovic and it will be one of the most exciting things of my life,” Maestrelli said. “It’s crazy to have the chance to see his name close to mine in an official match and let's see. I will try to do my best to try to win. I know that's so complicated, but that's it.”
The four-time ATP Challenger champion has never practised with Djokovic or had a formal conversation with him. Maestrelli has said “Ciao!” to the Serbian a few times over the years, but he will have to be ready to take on the 24-time major titlist Thursday in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.
“That's one of the players that doesn't have so [many] weak points,” Maestrelli said. “It will be so difficult to prepare for the match and I think we're going to try to put all that I have on the court and it’s going to be tough.”
Maestrelli showed the world his talent at an early age, breaking into the Top 200 of the PIF ATP Rankings in September 2022 as a 19-year-old. But it took more than three years for him to move into the Top 150.
“That's not easy, because when you do big results when you’re young, it's something easier. You don't know so much about the Tour, then you go and play,” Maestrelli said. “But you have to know also there are bad moments when the results don't come. You have to struggle, you have to stay [through] very big difficulties and try to improve with that.”
Maestrelli trained at the Italian Federation’s local centre since he was 16. But two years ago, Maestrelli moved a two-hour drive away from Pisa to Sinalunga, where he trains under Giovanni Galuppo and Gabrio Castrichella.
“It was so exciting because it was a new experience for me and it's so good to share this moment with them,” Maestrelli said. “I'm so scared about changes, but I thought that was the right moment to do it. Then I tried to go and [not] think about it, and maybe, [now that it is] two years later, I can say that it was the right decision.”
Outside of tennis, Maestrelli enjoys playing basketball. His favourite player is Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball because of his creativity on the court. The Italian also loves watching hometown football team Pisa Sporting Club.
“I'm a normal guy, and I'm trying to do my best on what I love: tennis,” Maestrelli said. “I'm trying to put everything out there, and I'm a tall guy. I'm going to try to serve as fast as possible, because I know that in the rallies, maybe he is better than me. But I don't know, let's see.”
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