Matteo Berrettini has issued an update on his health after a chilling incident during his most recent appearance at the Miami Open.
Berrettini returned to action at the Phoenix Challenger this past week, which marked his first return since suffering an ankle injury at the 2023 US Open.
The Italian was forced to shut down his campaign last season prematurely and missed out on being part of the Italian team that won a second Davis Cup title in Malaga, although he was part of the cheering squad in the stands.
At the start of 2024, it looked like his injury nightmare was over. Berrettini even traveled to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open and was scheduled to play Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster opening match. Sadly, that did not materialize, as he pulled out on day one of the tournament.
The same foot injury he sustained in New York scuppered his comeback, and it took another two months of recuperation and training to recover. Eventually, he returned to the star-studded Phoenix Challenger in Arizona, where he surprisingly played at a very high level to reach the final.
However, Portugal's Nuno Borges tamed his big serve to clinch his second title at the tournament. Berrettini's form was extremely encouraging, and he went to Miami to play his first tour-level tournament of the season.
A first-round match against Andy Murray was closely fought, but one moment in the second set overshadowed proceedings. The 28-year-old struggled to stay on his feet during one of his serves and just held himself from collapsing.
Tennis fans who saw the video were perplexed, especially since Florida was not experiencing peak humidity. However, players are not immune to fluctuating weather, as was the case with French youngster Arthur Cazaux, who fainted during his match in Miami.
Berrettini was cleared to complete the match after having his blood pressure monitored. He then shared an update on his condition on Instagram, in which he assured his fans that he was feeling better and was already planning to return to Europe to start preparations for the clay swing.
"Before the match, I was unwell and weak due to an intestinal virus. But I wanted to play the match. I'm fine now. Thanks for this support. Now I will return to Europe and prepare for the clay court season."
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