Tennis star Matteo Berrettini received an £11 gift card to a restaurant in a parking lot after winning what he called a “ridiculous” tournament.
The Italian player, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2021 against Novak Djokovic and has reached the semi-finals of both the Australian and US Open, has now earned a slightly unusual 11th title.
Berrettini, a winner of ten official titles, can now add this unique recognition to his list of achievements.
The 28-year-old was crowned “The Hottie” after a fan vote to determine the sexiest male tennis player.
The competition was organized by former American players John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, and Steve Johnson through their Nothing Major Podcast.
Berrettini was jokingly awarded the title in the parking lot at the Indian Wells Open.
Querrey and Johnson presented him with a sash labeled “winner,” a plastic trophy, and the £11 gift card to the Italian-American restaurant chain Olive Garden.
Isner posted on Instagram: “We at Nothing Major want to make Matteo feel like he’s at home in Rome.”
Fans found the award hilarious. One commented: “The dedication to give him a plastic trophy and a $15 Olive Garden coupon is killing me.”
Another added: “This is the most hilarious/ridiculous tennis thing I’ve ever seen.”
A third fan wrote: “Hahaha Olive Garden for the Italian.”
The podcast later joked: “Can you believe this wasn’t sponsored by Olive Garden? PS: Olive Garden DM us.”
Berrettini won the “hottie” title, surpassing players like Tommy Paul, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and British No. 1 Jack Draper.
Although the current world No. 35 has earned £9.6 million in his career, the podcast playfully stated they have “covered the cost of his ravioli.”
