Matteo Berrettini's misfortunes continue after he pulls out of the US Open

Matteo Berrettini has had a rough couple of years, plagued with constant injuries and false horizons. This trend seems to continue, with the 29-year-old pulling out of the upcoming US Open.

The Italian has already been forced to pull out of Roland Garros earlier this year due to an abdominal injury he picked up in the second round of the Masters 1000 event in Rome, against Casper Ruud. He would recover in time for a five-set tussle at Wimbledon against Kamil Majchrzak, but after coming out second best, he has pulled out of numerous tournaments, most recently the final Grand Slam of the year. He will be replaced by Brandon Holt, which has opened a wildcard spot after the American was announced as one yesterday.

It is a cruel turn of fate for a once reliable athlete. His first deep Grand Slam run came in 2019 as the 24th seed. He made it all the way to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, being defeated by eventual winner Rafael Nadal. The year before, he had won his first ATP title at Gstaad, and followed that up with triumphs in Stuttgart and Budapest the following year.

He reached his peak in 2021, claiming the title at Queens before going on an outstanding run at Wimbledon, reaching the final where, despite taking the first set, he was outclassed by Novak Djokovic. A US Open quarter-final and an Australian Open semi-final followed, launching him to a career-high sixth in the world. Sandwiched in between these runs was a sign of things to come, after he was forced to miss the ATP finals due to an abdominal tear.

Berrettini's fortunes would start to unfortunately turn around. He missed out on the following two Grand Slams. He was absent from Roland Garros, where he previously reached the quarter-finals, along with a lot of the clay season, due to surgery on his hand. Going into Wimbledon, he was one of the heavy favourites after successfully defending his Queens title, but contracted COVID-19 before the event and had to pull out. His quarter-final at the US Open in 2022 was the last time he's made that stage to date.

The injuries started to take its toll in 2023, when, after withdrawing from his third round tie at Monte-Carlo, he failed to play in Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros, along with the opportunity to defend his Queens triumph. He suffered a ruptured ankle ligament at the US Open, bringing his season to an early close.

It looked like he would return for the Australian Open to kick off 2024, but he would pull out just before the opening day with a foot injury to blame. After a six-month hiatus, he returned for the clay season and won three titles in a promising return to action. His ranking shot up 50 positions after a rapid decline. He would have the chance to carry on his rise back to where he had previously been, but would again pull out of Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros due to illness. His woes continued into 2025, after he pulled out of his Madrid tie against eventual finalist Jack Draper, citing pain in his abdomen. The same pain would force him out of his home competition and force him to miss his fourth consecutive French Open.

His abdominal issues may be the reason for him dropping out of the upcoming US Open, or just a chance to rest and fully recover, mindful of the consecutive problems he has faced. However, all of these injury problems are starting to take their toll on Berrettini, who is now down in 59th in the world needs his misfortunes to disapear if he wants to reinstate himself with the best.