Matteo Berrettini raises white flag: new injury. Fear for Rome
It’s over Matteo Berrettini’s Madrid tournament: the Italian tennis player retired after losing the first set on tie-break against Jack Draper. The Roman athlete, who had already suffered a back problem in the match against Giron, decided to stop the match and withdraw.
Up to that point, Berrettini had been the protagonist of a hard-fought match against the British player, favored by the oddsmakers: the Blue had gotten off to a better start by getting a break, but probably held back by back discomfort he lost continuity, while the Briton gained confidence game after game.
After saving as many as 4 set points, Berrettini managed to drag the set all the way to the tie-break where the British won cleanly 7-2. The Roman would have to play two more sets to win, so he decided to retire so as not to aggravate his abdominal problem ahead of the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome, an appointment he definitely does not want to miss.
Draper, number 5 on the scoreboard, will face Tommy Paul of the United States in the round of 16.
