The Italian champion should return in time for the Italian Open
Matteo Berrettini published an Instagram Stories where he explained the reasons for withdrawing from the Mutua Madrid Open, the third ATP Masters 1000 on clay-courts and fifth event in this category of the season.
Through a long statement on his social channels, the former number 6 in the world explained his condition, yet another physical stop that stopped his return to the court.
“For the last few days I have been dealing with a flu condition which has now turned into tonsillitis and fever. After another assessment today my doctor advised that it would be risky to attempt to compete in Madrid. My focus now shifts to recovering as quickly as possible and preparing for Rome,” he told.
And to think that Madrid is a tournament favorable to him, in 2021 Matteo reached the first ATP Masters 1000 level final of his career in Madrid.
Berrettini is working hard to become competitive again and try to fight to get back into the positions he deserves as soon as possible. Bad luck is certainly not on his side, physical problems are the order of the day and are now constantly recurring.
A Madrid non ci sarà Matteo Berrettini 💔
Il tennista azzurro, alla vigilia del Masters 1000 di Madrid, ha annunciato che non prenderà parte al torneo! Forza Matteo 💪#EurosportTENNIS #Tennis #ATP #Berrettini #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/jHqPQXvDlS
— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) April 21, 2024
He returned to Marrakech with a victory, surprising everyone and making his fans smile. A defeat due to tiredness in Monte-Carlo and then two consecutive withdrawals, the one in Monaco and now the one in Madrid these hours.
There was curiosity to see him on the pitch, after all Berrettini has shown 100% that he can compete with almost everyone and now yet another bad news with the fans hoping to see him in the best conditions as soon as possible. In any case, the Italian’s presence in Rome should be certain.
Berrettini returned to the field this year at the Phoenix Challenger on May 13th, an event in which he managed to reach the final, then lost to Nuno Borges.
His adventure at the Miami Open ended on his debut. Andy Murray did well to complete the comeback. The first big breakthrough after rediscovering the pitch came in Marrakech where the Italian won a title on the major circuit two years after the last time.
A special success that rewarded Berrettini for all his efforts to overcome injuries. The hope is to see him back in action at his best in Rome, one of the tournaments he is most attached to for many different reasons.
Berrettini would have participated in the Masters 1000 in Madrid thanks to the protected ranking. In Spain he reached his first and only 1000m final in 2021, but Alexander Zverev prevailed in three sets. He has not yet released the reserve Carlos Alcaraz.
The presence of the Spaniard, struggling with arm problems, in Madrid was still in strong doubt until a few days ago, but from the recent posts published on his social media, the Spaniard should be on the court.
Matteo Berrettini’s confession
The former number six in the world opened up a few weeks ago when speaking for Zeta, the new original Red Bull series.
His worst moment, he explains, occurred following the injury suffered at the 2023 US Open.
“It was the most difficult moment, during which I felt that the tank had been completely emptied and that I really struggled to get out of bed in the morning. At a certain point I said: now I only do the things I feel like doing. I had to take care of myself,” he told.
Berrettini then explained himself, indicating his favorite opponents: “I have always been particularly impressed when I played with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Every time I challenged them, they studied me, adapted to my game and took countermeasures. Having the opportunity to train with them, but also with the Italian boys is very important, we motivate and improve each other. All this work I have done on myself gives me the strength to say that there will certainly be difficult moments, sad moments.
However, the important thing was to start again with better energy than in the past and to rediscover joy and excitement for an event that is coming and not the terror of saying: ‘now something will happen,” he explained.
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