World number 14 Matteo Berrettini has announced that he is withdrawing from this week’s Erste Bank Open in Vienna due to a foot injury. Berrettini, 26, was scheduled to make his third appearance in Vienna this week. However, Berrettini hopes to be able to compete at the Paris Masters next week.
«Congratulations to my good friend @lore_musetti for the title in Napoli. And thank you to all the fans for the incredible support throughout the week. Following multiple expert medical evaluations on my left foot, I have been informed that I will not be able to compete in the @ erstebankopen in Vienna.
I will do my best to try to be ready to compete in Paris. Thanks as always for all the kind messages,» Berrettini announced on Instagram.
Berrettini enjoyed two deep runs at Vienna in the past
Berrettini made his debut at the Erste Bank Open in 2019, when he reached the semi-final before losing to Dominic Thiem.
Last year, Berrettini reached the Vienna quarter-finals before Carlos Alcaraz stopped him. Unfortunately, Berrettini will not be competing in the Austrian capital this year. On Saturday, Berrettini defeated Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 7-6(2) 6-3 in the semifinal in Naples.
After the match, Berrettini revealed that he was surprised that he could win the match as his foot was causing him great pain. «Actually, I don’t even know how I did it. I didn’t feel too good.»
I had asked the physio because my foot hurt. Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll be ready. But as it happened so many times in my career, I struggled with so many things that are not just thinking about a tennis ball.
Some things about my body. But I didn’t want to retire. My team told me ‘I think you should stop’ and I said ‘no, I want to lose this match’. I am tired of retiring. So I tried and in the end I found a way, so I’m very happy,» Berrettini said after his semi-final victory in Naples.
