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Matteo Berrettini suffered an injury following his exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters and has withdrawn from the BMW Munich Open. The former Wimbledon runner-up claimed one of the best victories of his career by eliminating World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the second round (2-6, 6-3, 7-5), but then fell short against his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti (6-3, 6-3), who later became a finalist at the tournament.
Berrettini had previously reached the quarterfinals at the Miami Open, where he was defeated by Taylor Fritz in a three-set battle. In his recent appearance, Berrettini debuted with a win over clay-court specialist Mariano Navone, then came from a set down to beat Zverev and reach the round of 16 of the tournament.
The former World No. 6 struggled physically during his match against Musetti. He was even attended to for noticeable pain during a match filled with long rallies. Berrettini appeared with bandages on his right foot and ankle, something that hadn't occurred in his previous match against Zverev.
It was recently announced that Berrettini will not participate in the BMW Munich Open starting Monday, April 14. He will be replaced by one of his recent opponents, Argentinian Mariano Navone.
Despite this, the Italian has moved up in the rankings, now positioned as World No. 33. With just over a month to go until the start of Roland Garros, Berrettini is likely aiming for a seeded spot to avoid early matchups with higher-ranked players in the upcoming Grand Slam. To achieve this, he must secure a spot within the top 32 before the French Open begins in six weeks.
However, Berrettini doesn’t have points to defend in the coming weeks, so it seems likely that he will continue to rise in the rankings before the second Grand Slam of the year. To do so, he needs to get back on the court as soon as possible in an extremely tight part of the rankings, where a single additional victory can make all the difference.
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Bears have major concern heading into Steelers Week 12 showdown
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Aaron Rodgers explains his criteria for playing Sunday vs. Bears
Aaron Rodgers has always been a tough quarterback. He has dealt with several injuries throughout the course of his career, but he's always done everything he could to see the field. That's no different now that he's with the Pittsburgh Steelers and dealing with a fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist. Rodgers injured himself against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but he's already talking about trying to get back for Pittsburgh's Week 12 contest against the Chicago Bears. In fact, he revealed on Wednesday that he will try things out at practice before this week is over. "It feels better than it did Sunday, that's for sure," Rodgers said Wednesday afternoon, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "... Was thankful to get today to work with [head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah] and just focus on rehab for today. Trying to get back on the field tomorrow and see what I can do." Aaron Rodgers going to test out his wrist injury on Thursday Rodgers wants to be able to play against the Bears, a team he has owned throughout the years, but he's also saying that he'll be cautious. Remember, he is just weeks away from turning 42. A fractured wrist would be tough to play with at 24. As anyone who has ever gotten older would attest, things tend to hurt even more as you age. Throw in the fact that Rodgers is playing perhaps the most physical sport on Earth, and it makes sense that he does have a very specific standard that he must meet before he decides if he can play — and it has nothing to do with pain. "It's a safety thing," Rodgers said. Rodgers has played in 29 regular-season games against the Bears in his NFL career. Including two playoff wins, he boasts a 26-5 record against them. Since he last squared off with Chicago as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2022, he had won nine games in a row against the Bears. If he feels he can keep himself safe on Sunday, you can bet he's going to try to play.
There's 'already chatter' Vikings could make Mac Jones call amid J.J. McCarthy's struggles
The ongoing struggles of second-year pro J.J. McCarthy have already sparked conversations among the NFL community about how the Minnesota Vikings might manage their quarterback situation next year. On Wednesday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared an interesting update regarding the Vikings' plans beyond January. Why Mac Jones could be an option for the Vikings According to Florio, "there’s already chatter in some circles that" the Vikings will explore trading for San Francisco 49ers backup Mac Jones during the offseason. Jones signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in March and, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, is under contract for $4.66M for the 2026 season. Breer also linked Jones with the Vikings. Jones went 5-3 across eight starts with the 49ers this season in place of QB1 Brock Purdy, who was dealing with a toe injury. Purdy inked a massive extension with the 49ers last offseason, and there's no indication he's in any danger of losing the starting job to Jones. Meanwhile, McCarthy has made just five career regular-season starts after he missed time this fall due to an ankle injury. The 2024 first-round draft pick spent his entire rookie campaign recovering from a full meniscus repair. According to Pro Football Reference, McCarthy heads into Week 12 ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 26.6 adjusted QBR, a 61.7 passer rating and a 52.9 percent completion percentage. He's 2-3 as a starter, while Minnesota is 4-6. Could history repeat itself for Vikings? Last year, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell repeatedly said that spending the 2023 season working with 49ers head coach and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan helped current Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold experience a necessary career reset. With Darnold in the lineup, the 2024 Vikings finished 14-3 before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Breer mentioned that the Vikings trading for Jones would "be a way to bring in competition for J.J. McCarthy and provide a layer of insurance at an affordable rate for a loaded roster, should McCarthy not ascend through the rest of this season." In short, it sounds like McCarthy will be playing for more than just wins from Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) through Week 18. As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Vikings as six-point underdogs against the Packers.
Pelicans' Derik Queen lives up to 'Baby Jokic' nickname vs. Nuggets
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