Berrettini retires, sending Ruud into Rome fourth round

Recent Madrid champion Casper Ruud led 29th seed Matteo Berrettini 7-5, 2-0 on Monday evening in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia when Berrettini retired due to injury.

In Madrid, Berrettini withdrew from his third-round match against Jack Draper after a set due to an abdominal injury.

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On the antepenultimate point against Ruud, Berrettini showed his quick reaction time and produced a sensational half-volley lob against Ruud. But on the next two points, it was clear that something was not right physically with the 29-year-old. He hit a forehand drop shot into the net on the last point of the match and promptly informed chair umpire Aurelie Tourte that he could not continue.

“I feel so bad for him because this is where he’s from, his home Masters 1000,” said Ruud, who signed the camera 'Sorry Matteo. Feel better!' “I know he hasn’t played since 2021 because of other injuries.

“I know he’s worked hard to come back and now he gets another setback. I hope it’s not a long thing for him. I hope he can fix it soon and have a speedy recover. He’s a hell of a player.”

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Berrettini was competing in Rome for the first time since 2021 and made a good start by defeating Briton Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 7-6(0) in the second round. The 10-time ATP Tour titlist was competitive with the in-form Ruud, winning 79 per cent of his first-serve points in the opening set according to Infosys ATP Stats to keep things close.

But when Berrettini began to feel a physical issue, he quickly decided to retire.

Ruud, the No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, will next play Jaume Munar for a place in the quarter-finals. The Spaniard ousted 22nd seed Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-2.