Matteo Berrettini was playing a very good match against Alexander Zverev when he was forced to retire after injuring himself.
The injury came midway through a rally when Berrettini hit a forehand a felt pain in the abdomen. He immediately stopped play and asked for the physio who performed a massage but it did not help. After playing one more point Berretitni realized he won't be able to go and retired from the match. Speaking after the match he said:
“It is mentally really tough for me because I used to have an injury close to the same area, so it is tough to play. Also, I don’t know what it is. I have to figure out what it is and then if it is nothing really big, maybe I can play."
He hopes he will be able to play but it doesn't seem very likely especially after he could not finish the match immediately. On it her further said:
“I hope it won’t be something that won’t let me play the next two matches. I just felt around the same area on the serve. I got scared and the mental part is the most important part. I remember coming back from that injury, to serve at full power I had to be brave, which is not easy when you felt something before. It was just impossible to keep playing.”
Berrettini was really looking forward to playing in Turin and the atmosphere proved just why. Commenting on the fans and atmosphere he said:
“The atmosphere was one of the best I ever felt in my life. It was unbelievable. That is probably why I feel so bad right now. Not being able to finish the match is killing me. It is just really tough to face. I really wanted to enjoy every second, that’s what we said as a team. The worst thing that could have happened, happened.”