After teasing a comeback at the 2023 Stockholm Open, Matteo Berrettini won't actually be making his comeback in Sweden as he withdrew from the ATP 250 event.
It looks increasingly likely that Matteo Berretitni won't play this year anymore after the most recent withdrawal. The Italian has dealt with a number of injuries this year that kept him away from the court for much of this year.
He struggled with injuries at the start of the year, missing a couple of events, but the biggest blow came during the clay season as he only played at the Monte-Carlo Masters, after which he missed two months of action.
He returned on grass and looked okay at Wimbledon but again missed a few events before the US Open stretch. The next injury came at the US Open, where he badly injured his ankle and needed a wheelchair to leave the court.
He hasn't stood on a tennis court since then, missing all the events recently, including the ones in Asia. There was some hope that he might return to Stockholm for the indoor season as he teased a return on social media.
However, that won't happen because he officially withdrew from the event, leaving a lot of doubt about him playing at all this year. A few events are coming up after Stockholm where he could return, but this latest development doesn't sound very optimistic.
In ways, it looks eerily similar to last year's finish to the season, where he also had an ankle injury. He missed the last couple of events but made a surprise return at the Davis Cup Finals even though he did not play.
Maybe we see something similar this year as well. In any case, there is no Berrettini in Stockholm despite the recent practice footage where he moved really well. We'll probably see him in Paris.