Berrettini back on court training at a high level but pulls out of Roland-Garros

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist, who has been out of action since Indian Wells due to a right hand injury, delays his comeback until the grass court season

Matteo Berrettini at Roland Garros 2021 Image Credit: JB Autissier / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

May 15, 2022

World No 8 Matteo Berrettini is back on court training at a high level but has decided to pull out of Roland-Garros, which begins on May 22.

The 26-year-old Italian had been forced to skip all the clay court events leading up to the French Open after undergoing a surgery on his right hand in March.

While he gave an encouraging update to his fans, saying he had received a positive update from his medical team and his hand was feeling great, Berrettini said playing best-of-five set matches in Paris without any tune up events would not “be sensible”.

In a post on Instagram, which included a video of him training, Berrettini said he plans to be back for the full grass court season.

“Following a very positive update from my medical team, I am now back on-court training at a high level. My hand is feeling great and I am working hard to build up my match fitness. My team and I have made the decision that going straight back into 5 set matches on clay @rolandgarros would not be sensible, therefore I will delay my comeback to compete in the full grass season. 🌱💪🏼🔨 Thank you as always for all the support. I can’t wait to be back competing.”

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Berrettini reached the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros in 2021

Berrettini last competed on the tour at Indian Wells, where he reached the round of 16. He had begun the year reaching his first Australian Open semi-final, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in four sets.

The Italian peaked at No 6 in the world rankings after the Australian Open, which was the third time he had advanced to the last four at a Major. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2019 US Open and was the finalist at Wimbledon in 2021.

Berrettini’s best effort at the French Open came last year when he reached the quarter-finals in Paris for the first time, going down to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.