World No. 30 Matteo Berrettini shared his feelings after withdrawing from his match at the Rome Masters. The Italian was unable to complete his third-round encounter against Casper Ruud, retiring with the score at 5/7, 0/2. He was visibly emotional, crying as he left the court.
“Probably, yesterday, when I woke up, I realized things were a bit more complicated than they seemed. But the love I have for this city, for this tournament, for my brother, for this sport, pushed me to try and go all the way,” Berrettini said (He was born in Rome and played doubles with his brother at this Masters).
“Today, ten minutes before the start, I thought I wouldn`t be able to step onto the court, but I decided to try anyway. I was surprised how my body reacted up to a certain point – but then I felt a sharp pain again. It was towards the end of the first set, and from that moment on, I couldn`t stay in the match. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw again.”
“Rome was one of my goals, and I didn`t want to give up. But I know how this ends: then you have to be out for three months, every sneeze makes you twitch with pain… I didn`t want that to happen again. I think and hope I managed to stop in time,” Berrettini concluded at the press conference.
