Former world No. 6 Matteo Berrettini has announced that he is pulling out of the French Open because he is still “not quite ready for multiple five-set matches” despite doing his best as the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up will now focus on the grass season try to be fully ready for his favorite part of the season.
After struggling with multiple injuries last year and concluding his 2023 season after the US Open due to an ankle issue, Berrettini returned to action in March at the Phoenix Challenger, where he ended as runner-up to Nuno Borges in the final.
Following a solid return in Phoenix, Berrettini also played at the Miami Masters before winning an ATP 250 tournament in Marrakech. But just two days after Marrakech, Berrettini got ousted by Miomir Kecmanovic in the Monte Carlo Masters first round and he hasn’t played since.
“Despite training at an increasingly high level, my team and I feel I am not quite ready for multiple five-set matches in a row. I will wait to make my return on grass. I’m nearly there, just need a little more time,” Berrettini announced.
Matteo Berrettini © Getty Images Sport – Cameron Spencer
Berrettini won’t make his French Open return this year
Berrettini, who turned 28 last month, made four consecutive French Open appearances between 2018 and 2021 but he hasn’t played at Roland Garros since.
In his fourth and last French Open appearance in 2021, Berrettini made his first quarterfinal at Roland Garros before Novak Djokovic handed him a four-set defeat.
After injuries forced Berrettini to miss the 2022 and 2023 French Open editions, he is sadly again forced to miss the lone clay Grand Slam tournament of the year.
But now, Berrettini will have more time to prepare for grass, a surface where he has had the most success – his lone Grand Slam final came at Wimbledon and he is also a two-time Queen’s champion and a two-time Stuttgart champion.
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