Matteo Berrettini played his first ATP Tour-level match at the 2024 Miami Open and nearly fainted midway through the match.
The Miami Open is a pretty notorious event because similar things tend to happen relatively often compared to other events. Players have gotten used to playing in brutal conditions over the years, but something about Miami simply becomes too much.
It's a pretty humid city, notoriously so. Many people underestimated just how humid it can be (up to 80%), which, in combination with the warm climate, becomes a really tough environment to play in.
Players need to stay hydrated, and even then, some simply can't handle it. Athletes usually get warned about the weather in Florida before traveling there for competitions.
Jack Draper fainted there a few years ago during a particularly hot day. Arthur Cazaux fainted earlier this week and was forced to retire from his match, and now Matteo Berrettini nearly did as well.
The Italian is used to brutal weather, but it was a bit too much for him. He was playing Andy Murray, and it was the second set when the Brit was up 5-2, a game away from taking the match into the decider.
The Italian stepped up to serve and, as he was preparing to serve, tumbled sideways a little bit. He was able to keep himself upright and walk it off, but the play had to be stopped for a while.
After some consultation, and having his blood pressure checked, Berrettini was able to continue the match, though he did end up losing it. It's unclear what really happened to the Italian, but it clearly had something to do with the weather.
It was clearly the combination of the Miami weather and the fact that he hadn't been on a tennis court for a long time.
He returned last week at the Phoenix Challenger, so this was essentially his first Tour-level match. Luckily he didn't faint but he was awfully close.
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