Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the ATP Finals in Turin after failing to recover from the abdominal injury that forced him to retire from his opening match against Alexander Zverev.
Berrettini, who suffered pain in his left oblique early in the second set against Zverev and cut a distraught figure as the realisation dawned that he would be unable to continue, announced his decision in an emotional statement on Instagram.
“I thought, thought, cried and finally decided,” wrote Berrettini, who had made no secret of his delight at qualifying for the first edition of the season-ending showpiece to be held in his native Italy.
“My finals end here, I am destroyed, I never thought I would have to give up the most important tennis event ever held in Italy in this way. The truth is that as much as I wanted to play in front of you once again, I felt and therefore decided that my body is not ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.
“To say that I am sad would not do justice to the state of mind that I am in, I feel robbed of something that I have conquered with years of effort and sweat. It was not an easy decision, but I am convinced that it is the best for me and for my career.”
A similar issue forced Berrettini to withdraw from his fourth-round meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open in February, although it remains unclear if this latest setback is a recurrence of the same problem.
Berrettini’s place in red group was taken by Jannik Sinner, the world No 11 and first alternate, who began his campaign with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win over Hubert Hurkacz. The Italian, who broke early in both sets and held serve throughout, afterwards wrote on the TV camera: “Matteo, you are an idol.”
“In one way, it’s a highlight playing here, in another way it’s not the way you want to play, especially when Matteo is pulling out. He has been unlucky many, many times in his career already, and I wish him all the best,” Sinner said. “I am going to play for him at this tournament, because he deserves more than me to be here.”
Daniil Medvedev earlier won an absorbing contest against Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (8-6) to clinch top spot in red group. In a match replete with blistering serves and punishing baseline exchanges, the Russian second seed secured the opening set with an early break. Three break points came and went for Medvedev in the second before the inevitable tiebreak began in controversial fashion as the defending champion, to his evident displeasure, was called for a foot fault on a second serve. A video replay suggested it was the tightest of calls, but Zverev was not about to spurn the proffered gift, consolidating his advantage with some brilliant serving to open up a decisive lead.
The decider was an equally nip-and-tuck affair. Medvedev survived a break point at 5-5, a blistering first serve proving too hot for Zverev to handle, and again held his nerve in the climactic tiebreak when the German produced an ace and a searing backhand winner to fend off two match points.
Medvedev, however, was not about to get carried away with his fifth successive win over the Olympic champion. “I always say that, against a top-10 player for [many] years, which is Sascha, I feel like no matter how many matches you win in a row, you can basically lose the same amount in a row afterwards,” said Medvedev. “Every match was different. Some matches I was in control. Some matches I remember he was up, really in control of the match, where I managed to turn it around.
“Today’s match was a matter of few points, it was a really close match. I’m just happy that I made it against such a such a strong opponent, [who] especially this year, has so many victories, titles.”