{"id":87966,"date":"2025-08-04T07:15:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T11:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=87966"},"modified":"2025-08-01T14:09:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T18:09:51","slug":"whats-going-on-with-berrettini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/08\/04\/whats-going-on-with-berrettini\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Going on With Matteo Berrettini?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cincinnatiopen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cincinnati Open<\/a> starts in a week, and several players have already withdrawn: <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/29\/grigor-dimitrov-to-miss-us-open-ending-record-grand-slam-streak\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Grigor Dimitrov, who will skip the US Open as well<\/a>; Hubert Hurkacz, who won&#8217;t play in New York either; Jack Draper and Alexander Bublik, who both forfeited in Toronto but plan to return for Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s Matteo Berrettini, who is missing his fourth consecutive tournament, having not defended his titles in Kitzbuhel and Gstaad and having skipped the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/30\/a-brief-history-of-the-canadian-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Canadian Open<\/a>. This situation has tennis fans quite worried, as Berrettini&#8217;s health\u2014both physical and mental\u2014is shrouded in mystery.<\/p>\n<h2>A Career Marked by Injuries<\/h2>\n<p>Matteo Berrettini has been dealing with injuries since the beginning of his career. 2021 was his best year, as he reached the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wimbledon.com\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wimbledon<\/a> final and lost only to Novak Djokovic. Over time, he has established himself as one of the best players of his generation, especially on grass. However, Berrettini has struggled with consistency and injuries, never managing to play a full season injury-free.<\/p>\n<p>2024 seemed like a new beginning for him. He won three ATP titles, fulfilled a lifelong dream of winning the Davis Cup, and secured the Comeback Player of the Year award at the 2024 ATP Awards.<\/p>\n<p>But in 2025, everything started all over again. He earned his first career win over Novak Djokovic in Doha\u2014a highlight of the season\u2014before being forced to take a break due to an injury sustained at the <a href=\"https:\/\/internazionalibnlditalia.com\/en\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Italian Open<\/a>, his hometown tournament, during a second-round match against Casper Ruud.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"sAJeAGFAQjZnikOT7sYMaw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2214155708\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'sAJeAGFAQjZnikOT7sYMaw',sig:'ogqsXYlvhRDJg2Lfd3pqMkTRAM7UNNraOpHCJ55e_eA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2214155708',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Berrettini&#8217;s Frustration<\/h3>\n<p>He couldn&#8217;t hold back the tears as he left the court. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurosport.it\/tennis\/atp-roma\/2025\/berrettini-in-lacrime-dopo-il-ritiro-contro-ruud-giocato-per-roma-e-per-mio-fratello.-stesso-dolore-che-avevo-gia-provato_sto23182012\/story.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">press conference<\/a> (translation from Google), he said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Rome was one of my goals; I didn&#8217;t want to retire. The doctors are tired of seeing me too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks later, he withdrew from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rolandgarros.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">French Open<\/a>, though there was little concern at the time since his priority was the upcoming grass season. However, he also pulled out of Stuttgart and Queen&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>Berrettini did make it to London to play Wimbledon and even won an exhibition match at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic. But his journey on British grass ended far sooner than he had hoped, as he lost in the first round to Kamil Majchrzak in a five-setter. He didn&#8217;t play badly, but he seemed to lack the fire in his eyes\u2014the fighting spirit he had always shown throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p>After the match, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaziotennis.com\/interv\/berrettini-lascia-wimbledon-tra-i-dubbiho-bisogno-di-tempo-per-riflettere\/110951\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he spoke to the Italian journalists<\/a> (translation from Google) and admitted:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maybe I&#8217;m a little tired, tired of always having to chase things. Being on the court like this isn&#8217;t what I want. It&#8217;s normal to be down after everything that&#8217;s happened these past years, and now I need time to reflect and understand.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>A Mental Struggle?<\/h3>\n<p>These words hinted at something deeper: while Berrettini has been focused on his body, he may have neglected his mental health. From the outside, it seems more likely that he is skipping tournaments because, psychologically, he doesn&#8217;t feel ready to compete rather than because he is still injured.<\/p>\n<p>Still, these are just hypotheses. It has been a month since his last social media post, and the only recent sign of life came from a video published by an influencer in Monte-Carlo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DMtXCyvtLuK\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">Visualizza questo post su Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DMtXCyvtLuK\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Un post condiviso da Ted Zhar (@tedzhar)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Is Retirement a Possibility?<\/h3>\n<p>Berrettini is just 29, but he finds himself at a crossroads, facing a difficult decision. Everyone hopes to see him back on a tennis court, though it wouldn&#8217;t be shocking to see him bid farewell to the sport. What is certain is that time is ticking, and the longer he stays away from the ATP tour, the more concerns will grow.<\/p>\n<p>Tennis can be cruel, and it&#8217;s never easy to end a career, especially when you&#8217;ve sacrificed so much for it. But injuries are unforgiving, and they don&#8217;t care about age\u2014just ask Dominic Thiem.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey &#8211; USA TODAY Sports<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cincinnati Open starts in a week, and several players have already withdrawn: Grigor Dimitrov, who will skip the US Open as well; Hubert Hurkacz, who won&#8217;t play in New York either; Jack Draper and Alexander Bublik, who both forfeited in Toronto but plan to return for Flushing Meadows. Then there&#8217;s Matteo Berrettini, who is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5454,"featured_media":55283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[510,1720,259,811,208,411,2916,258,11131,4367,1694,22],"class_list":["post-87966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atp","category-featured","tag-alexander-bublik","tag-atp-cincinnati","tag-atp-tour","tag-casper-ruud","tag-dominic-thiem","tag-grigor-dimitrov","tag-hubert-hurkacz","tag-italian-tennis","tag-jack-draper","tag-kamil-majchrzak","tag-matteo-berrettini","tag-novak-djokovic"],"modified_by":"Shane Black","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87966"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88032,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87966\/revisions\/88032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}