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Berrettini had hoped to leave Melbourne as the first Italian to
win the Australian Open but Nadal dashed those hopes with a 6-3
6-2 3-6 6-3 win in a semi-final lasting just short of three
hours.
At the net, the seventh-seeded Italian whispered into the ear of
the 35-year-old he considers an inspiration, congratulating him
on his form and his return to a Grand Slam final.
"We have always had a great relationship with Rafa since I met
him ... so I wanted to say good luck and obviously well done for
what he did so far," Berrettini said.
"We also chatted a little bit in the locker room. He told me
that (I had) a great run, and I told him again, 'bravo'.
"It's just really nice for me to ... talk to him and have this
kind of conversation, because I'm still learning from (him), and
it's good."
The 25-year-old has reached at least the quarter-finals at the
past four majors, which included a run to a decider at Wimbledon
when he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.
But he leaves with mixed feelings.
While pleased to reach the semi-finals, Berrettini was
disappointed with his mindset in the opening two sets against
Nadal. He attributed this to the mental fatigue that comes with
pushing deep into a Grand Slam tournament.
"I was playing good tennis and he was playing good tennis and it
was, I think, also fun to watch," he said. "But you cannot be on
the court like this for the first two sets against a player like
Rafa.
"Even if I was like I was in the third and the fourth, I still
don't know if I could have won the match, but for sure the
attitude in the first two, it wasn't good enough."
The world number seven has vowed to improve from the experience.
"I'm proud of what I have done. But I guess, in a way, it's good
that I still have room for improvement."
(Reporting by Courtney Walsh; editing by Robert Birsel)
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