New Delhi: A week after withdrawing from his Italian Open third round match, Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the French Open on Thursday.
The French Open organisers said a lucky loser would fill up the main draw slot vacated by Berrettini due to an unspecified injury.
The Italian has been struggling with injuries this month as two weeks ago he pulled out of his third-round match against Jack Draper in Madrid Open with an abdominal injury.
A week ago, the World No. 28 retired from his third round game against Casper Ruud in the third round. The singles main draw at Roland-Garros begins on Sunday at the clay-court Grand Slam.
Berrettini has had a history of injuries since the time he was beaten in the 2021 Wimbledon final. He withdrew from the Australian Open last year with a right foot injury.
A stomach muscle tear sidelined him from the Italian Open two years ago. Berrettini is known for his big serves, which has helped him win 10 ATP career titles and reach the US Open semi-final in 2019.
Year’s first clay-court win for Djokovic
Record 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic beat Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 6-3 for his first clay-court win of the current season. The win helped him reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event.
He was beaten in his first two matches on clay this year, going down to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte-Carlo and Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid. But against Fucsovics, the former World No. 1 was in control through the 75-minute encounter.
“My first win this season on clay. It is great to break the ice in a way. It is a very demanding surface. We all know how tricky it is to play on clay, compared to the other surfaces, you always have to expect an extra ball, an extra shot,” Djokovic said, as per atptour.com.
“Here, a bit more altitude, so it helps if you have a good serve. Today I think that was my strongest shot. I had a high percentage of first serves, a lot of free points on the first serve when I needed, to get out of trouble.
“I think it makes life on the court a bit easier, so I am very glad to be able to play the best tennis when needed. All the way through, I was quite focused and pleased with the level of tennis, so hopefully that can continue tomorrow.”
The French Open organisers said a lucky loser would fill up the main draw slot vacated by Matteo Berrettini due to an unspecified injury. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
