Matteo Berrettini won't be playing at the 2024 Roland Garros, as he officially withdrew from the event because he was not fit enough to play.
The Italian player has struggled with injuries in recent years, and this year is no exception. He produced a stunning vintage performance at the Marrakech Open in Morocco to win his first trophy in a long time, but he couldn't build upon that.
He hasn't played since then and won't be playing in Paris either. The announcement came on his Instagram story, where he admitted that despite working really hard to be ready for the season's second major, he and the team are not confident that he's ready for best-of-five matches, which he would have to play in Paris.
It's not a huge surprise because the Italian clearly lacks matches. Missing a few weeks ahead of the Grand Slam certainly didn't help, and clay tennis is very physical, and players need to be at their peak for it. He's clearly not at the moment.
"Despite training at an increasingly high level, my team and I feel I am not quite ready for multiple five set matches in a row. I will wait to make my return on grass. Thank you for your continued support. I'm nearly there, just need a little more time."
Berrettini also briefly mentioned the grass season, which is right around the corner. He's a terrific grass player and a former Wimbledon finalist, so getting ready for that part of the season makes sense to him.
He's likely to fare better in London than Paris, so skipping the French Open in favor of better preparation for Wimbledon makes sense for him, especially if he's not fit enough to play best-of-five matches at the moment. Expect him to show up on a grass court fairly soon.
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