Torrid season of Matteo Berrettini likely ends, withdraws from Vienna Open

Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the Vienna Open and is likely to conclude his 2023 season on the brink of falling out of the top 100.

The former world No. 6 has endured a forgettable 2023 season, with only 12 victories and a disappointing 11 losses. Poor results and persistent injuries have prevented Berrettini from finding consistency.

The 27-year-old last played at the US Open, where he advanced to the second round after defeating Ugo Humbert in three sets but was forced to retire during his match against Arthur Rinderknech.

While his return was anticipated for the ATP 500 Vienna Open, which begins on October 23, it has been announced that Berrettini has withdrawn from the tournament. In his place, Daniel Altmaier will enter the main draw.

The tournament will be packed with world-class stars, featuring 5 players from the top-10 and 8 within the top-15 rankings.

World No. 88 doesn't have any more tournaments scheduled in the coming weeks, and unless he receives a wild card for one of the events in the final two weeks of the ATP Tour, he won't be back on the court until 2024. Furthermore, it's worth noting that his physical condition is not at its best.

The Italian's best results this year were reaching the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano (although he had to retire against Holger Rune with the score at 6-0, 1-0 in favor of the Danish player), the round of 16 in Monte-Carlo (due to a walkover before a match with Rune), and the round of 16 at Wimbledon, where he had a memorable match against the eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz.

With his results this year, he currently sits at the 80th spot in the ATP Race rankings, but he's likely to continue dropping in the rankings by the end of the year, which could place him around the world No. 90 as 2023 ends.