Matteo Berrettini Vents Frustration After Roland Garros Retirement Due to Hip Injury: “I’m Fed Up”

Matteo Berrettini was enjoying a resurgent form at Roland Garros before an injury setback forced him to leave the Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Italian star had powered his way into his first Grand Slam quarter-finals since the 2022 US Open and was one of the favorites to win the championship, but couldn’t continue in the second set against Matteo Arnaldi.

Injuries have become part of Berrettini’s career, and they have increasingly become troubling as setbacks. He has been forced to retire from eight matches since 2021 and has pulled out of several matches on tour. For a former top star, it is heartbreaking to see other players continue to reach their goals whilst he watches from the sidelines due to injury.

He took to the Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday (June 3) to reach the semi-finals of the French Open. He didn’t start the match well, but quickly regained his position against Arnaldi, who was playing with high confidence. After losing the first set, Berrettini stepped to the court, struggling with his hips.

He tried to continue, but Arnaldi was running away easily with the win. Berrettini called for a medical timeout, but things didn’t get better for him. At 5-7, 2-5, he decided to call it quits by retiring, a bitter ending for the former World No.6, who was making his return to Roland Garros after a five-year hiatus due to a series of physical issues on the court.

He spent only an hour and 40 minutes on the court before waving goodbye to the crowd at the Court Philippe-Chatrier. Speaking to the media after his retirement, Berrettini noted that it was a hip injury and would need a test to ascertain the level of the injury, as he hopes to be back on the court for the grass court swing:

It’s definitely the hip. I don’t know exactly what it is, hopefully the tests go well and tell me what I have. I’ve never had anything like this before. I had issues with the right hip at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, but it was a different pain. I suppose it’s part of the work I do. It’s an individual sport, so there are no changes. I can’t ask for a prosthesis. It is what it is. I have to make the right decision. Obviously, it was a big stage, I’m the last one who wants to withdraw.

Berrettini has now reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams on tour, but the only time he reached a final in any of them was at the Wimbledon Championships in 2021. Hopefully, by stopping in the second set of his quarter-finals match, he will be able to make a healthy return to the grass swing this summer.

Matteo Berrettini to take the lessons from his disappointing Roland Garros exit

Matteo Berrettini was ranked outside the Top 100 ahead of the French Open. He was not expected to get beyond the second round of the tournament, but he stunned the tennis world by reaching the quarter-finals. Despite his disappointing exit, he will be proud to have returned to the top 50 in the ATP rankings.

According to the ATP Live Rankings, Berrettini is World No.48. Should he win a couple of matches this grass season, especially at the Wimbledon Championships, he’s expected to break into the top 30. He admitted during the aforementioned press conference that he will take the positives from his run at the French Open:

I have to take the good stuff that I did in this tournament, because a few weeks ago, few days ago, [it] would have been crazy to think about me in the quarter-finals, and so I’ll try to go back home with a smile on my face. It’s going to be tough, but that’s the mentality that I like to — that’s how I like to approach these two weeks. And of course, I’m disappointed, I’m sad, but I’m also proud of the way I fought through this tournament.

Berrettini was scheduled to play the Australian Open in January, but he withdrew due to illness and a muscle injury. His biggest match win this season came at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he defeated World No.8 Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-0. Before that, he defeated World No.10 Alexander Bublik in Indian Wells.

Also Read: Flavio Cobolli Reveals ‘Crazy’ Rafael Nadal Shower Superstition After Reaching Roland Garros Semifinal