Bellucci: "I stopped looking at the rankings and started enjoying myself again".

Mattia Bellucci surprised everyone at the ATP 500 Rotterdam, ending his run in the semi-finals.

A qualifier, he beat Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, before going down to Alex de Minaur.

This performance puts him firmly in the top 100 and guarantees him a place in the Grand Slam draw.

After his tournament, the Italian gave his impressions: "I've come back from Rotterdam with a lot of positive emotions, despite a difficult final match.

For the first time, I've had to deal with incredible emotions, beating players in the top 10. Medvedev and Tsitsipas were very kind at the end of the match, and overall, I received great support from my peers.

In terms of planning and goals, however, this result doesn't change much for me; on the other hand, in terms of awareness, it has provided me with important information and great confidence.

Having fun on the court has always been a fundamental element. One of my challenges has always been the ability to concentrate.

Sometimes I lose sight of the goal because I'm only concentrating on the result. That's the big challenge, and in Rotterdam we interpreted it in the best possible way.

However, that doesn't mean that the goal has been achieved. I have to try and find the right order, I have to be able to find the right solidity, which I managed during the week in Rotterdam.

I need to be able to bring to the competitions the things I've been asked to do in training.

I went through a difficult period and wasn't really enjoying myself on the court.

Then, at a certain point, with my coach, we decided to stop looking at the rankings, and at that point I finally started enjoying playing again."