Matteo Berrettini suffered a heartbreaking end in his run to the French Open quarter-finals.
Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and is a former world number six, had faced many injury struggles in recent years and had not been past the second round of a Grand Slam since 2023.
As a result, the Italian was ranked outside the top 100 coming into Roland Garros, but Berrettini was able to beat the likes of Arthur Rinderknech, Francisco Comesana and Juan Manuel Cerundolo to reach the quarter-finals of Roland Garros for the first time since 2021.
Berrettini was hoping to continue his run against his compatriot Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals, but he was forced to retire in the latter stages of the second set, and now Andy Roddick has given his opinion.
Andy Roddick reacts to Matteo Berrettini retiring at Roland Garros
Berrettini went off the court for a medical timeout shortly before retiring from the match, and Roddick has speculated that it is either a hip or a groin injury in the latest edition of his ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘ podcast.
While it is not clear as to the seriousness of Berrettini’s injury, Roddick believes that his retirement was to avoid causing any further issues ahead of the grass court season, where he has previously produced some of his best career results.
“When you are down a couple of sets and you have an injury – which we don’t know what it is yet. Obviously if you go off the court it is a hip or a groin,” began Roddick.
“If you are his camp and you saw them saying ‘don’t do it’. We don’t know how bad it is at this point and he doesn’t know how bad it is. 100% it has to be a responsible thought in the back of your mind that I don’t think I can get through three more sets with how I am feeling. And even if I do, do I have anything left and can I go the distance?
“It wasn’t like one movement and then on the ground, like [Alexander] Zverev breaking his ankle or Hailey Baptiste. Where you see it and you’re like that was bad. That is many months.
“But you still have to be responsible to your future also. His best chance of winning a Slam or making a final of a Slam. I understand the draw opened up and he had a shot here, but it’s at Wimbledon. I have to think he would tell you this.
“I hope he is healthy for the grass court season. What he did at this tournament, grinding through, getting to the quarters, exercising a few demons and making a physical run at a Grand Slam. There will be a pay off for that, even if you are switching surfaces.
“Not to mention ranking. You are going in at 105 [and coming out at 48]. He is almost back in Masters 1000 before qualifiers. You are back in the show. That is huge.
“He sat down and he did not immediately go to the net at 5-2. He sat in his chair, looked at his team and there was this look of resignation that rocks up.
“I have to think in that moment he is thinking do I have a shot at Wimbledon? What is my best chance to make a Grand Slam semi or final? Is it here right now or is it somewhere else, with the form that I now have and the ranking I now have and with the opportunities that are ahead of me?
“I know nobody wants to hear that. I know we have this mentality of ‘run through the wall’ but if you are his team and you have been through five years of pain, you are going let’s not sacrifice six months for the next 35 minutes.”
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Matteo Berrettini could miss Wimbledon this year even without his injury
While Roddick has suggested Berrettini could have been precautious in his retirement with Wimbledon in mind, the Italian may actually not be in the main draw of the grass court major.
Despite Berrettini confirming his return to the top 50 of the ATP rankings after his run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals, he was ranked too low at the cut-off for direct entry for Wimbledon.
This could mean that Berrettini may have to play Wimbledon qualifying for the first time in his career, unless he receives a wildcard.
As a former Wimbledon finalist, Berrettini certainly has a case for a Wimbledon wildcard, but he has stiff competition against another former runner-up in Nick Kyrgios, as well as the likes of the retiring Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, and a number of British players.
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Berrettini could still get into Wimbledon directly if he does not receive one of the eight wildcards, as he is currently the third alternate and needs just three withdrawals to make it into the main draw.
The main priority for Berrettini will be his fitness, with under four weeks to go until the Wimbledon main draw and he will have even less time if he has to play qualifying.
