Matteo Berrettini has been criticized (and made fun of) for his small calves. The internet often speculates that Berrettini “routinely” skips leg days in the gym.
In a NYT article, Berrettini blames genes for his small calf muscles.
That’s why I play with ankle braces because my ankles and calves are very thin and fragile. My family is like that: It’s genetics. There’s nothing I can do about it. I work on my calves, I swear, but it looks like I don’t do it. I do it, and nothing.
-Matteo Berrettini
Given everything happening knees up, I really don’t understand how Rublev’s calves are that much bigger than Berrettini’s. #USOpen
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 2, 2019
Small calves did not stop Berretini from reaching his maiden grand slam final at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. Though he lost the competitive final to Novak Djokovic, the future looks bright for the Italian.