Big blow: Matteo Berrettini withdraws from French Open

Italy’s Matteo Berrettini becomes a first big-name player to opt out of the French Open 2025. The second Grand Slam of the year will begin from May 27 where players from all over the world will participate to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

One big-name player who will not take part in the event will be Italy’s Berrettini. The 29-year-old will not take part in the competition because of a fitness concern. The development was officially announced just before the main draw was set to take place in Paris, according to the English media outlet Daily Express.

Berrettini has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past. He was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open in April in the round of 32 clash against Britain’s Jack Draper. He returned to the court less than two weeks later in Rome for another ATP 1000 event but was once again forced to withdraw in the round of 32 clash against Norway’s Casper Ruud. The final score of the match was 7-5, 2-0. After the match, the Italian tennis star stated that he was unsure whether to take the court just 10 minutes before the match, but he decided to give it a serious go. "Today until ten minutes before the match I thought I couldn't make it,” he said back then. “Then I said, whatever, I'm going to try, come on. I was surprised at how my body reacted up to a certain point.”

Berrettini does not have a great record while playing at the French Open. It is the only Grand Slam where the former world number six has never managed to cement a spot in the semifinal or beyond. His best outing while playing in the competition came in 2021 where he was knocked out after losing in the quarterfinal to former world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.