Matteo Berrettini announced his withdrawal from the French Open and claimed that he would return to action at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart. The Italian suffered an abdominal injury during his third-round win against Francisco Cerundolo at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which saw him miss the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
Berrettini recently returned to light training following advice from his medical team, but the French Open comes too early for him to return. The 27-year-old said that while his rehab is going well, he wouldn't be ready to compete at the clay-court major.
Berrettini stated that he would be back during the grass-court season at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, which he won last season by defeating Andy Murray in the final.
The Italian wrote on his Instagram story:
"Making good progress with my rehab and can't wait to be back competing. I will not be ready in time for Paris so my return to tour will be on grass at the @bossopen in Stuttgart."
This will be the second consecutive year that Matteo Berrettini will not compete at the French Open. His last appearance at the clay-court Major came in 2021, when he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Matteo Berrettini has won seven out of 13 matches so far in 2023
Matteo Berrettini has won seven out of 13 matches so far this season, with his most notable outing being helping Italy reach the final of the United Cup. He beat the likes of Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz while putting up a tough fight against Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
The Italian also reached the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open in Acapulco before retiring during the match because of an injury.
Berrettini is currently 20th in the ATP rankings and will be eager to impress during the grass-court season as he aims to rise through the ranks. The Italian fared well on the surface in 2022, winning all nine of his matches.
He won the Stuttgart Open with wins over Radu Albot, Lorenzo Sonego, and Oscar Otte before triumphing over Andy Murray in the final. The Italian then competed at the Queen's Club Championships and successfully defended his title by beating Dan Evans, Denis Kudla, Tommy Paul, Botic van de Zandschulp, and Filip Krajinovic.
He was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after contracting COVID-19.