Matteo Berrettini gutted after new injury forces Monte-Carlo Masters withdrawal

Matteo Berrettini announced his withdrawal from the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters due to a tear in his obliques.

The Italian booked his place in the Round of 16 of the tournament by beating Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-4 on his 27th birthday. He felt some discomfort in his abdominal region during the match but was still able to finish.

Berrettini was scheduled to face sixth seed Holger Rune next at the Monte-Carlo Masters, but he withdrew from the tournament due to his injury, which turned out to be an oblique muscle tear. The Italian took to Instagram to announce his heartbreaking withdrawal, claiming that it was a tough one to take given he was just getting back to the level he wanted to play at.

"I don’t know where to start….I was finally finding my level and getting back to where I wanted to be….this is a difficult one," Matteo Berrettini wrote.

"I’m very sad to announce I will not be able to play my match today in Monte Carlo. I felt some pain in my obliques during my match yesterday. The pain became significantly worse overnight," he added.

Berrettini claimed that he underwent an MRI scan, which showed that he had a grade 2 tear in his internal oblique muscle.

"After consulting with my medical team we decided to have an MRI scan this morning. I have a grade 2 tear in my internal oblique muscle. I can’t thank you all enough for the support. It means so much and is what gets me through these difficult times," the 27-year-old said.

With Matteo Berrettini withdrawing, Holger Rune receives a bye to the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo.

Matteo Berrettini has suffered a few injuries over the past year

Matteo Berrettini in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2023

Matteo Berrettini has dealt with his fair share of injuries since 2022. The Italian missed last season's Miami Open along with the entirety of the clay-court season due to an injury to his right hand, for which he underwent surgery. He later suffered a foot injury during the Tennis Napoli Cup, which ruled him out of the Davis Cup Finals.

Berrettini then suffered a calf injury during his Mexican Open quarterfinal against Alex de Minaur this season and was forced to retire midway through the match. The 27-year-old currently has a 7-6 win-loss record so far in 2023 and it will be interesting to see when he returns to action following his injury in Monte-Carlo.