Matteo Berrettini Announces Unfortunate News Ahead of Miami Open 2021

More unfortunate news has arrived from Miami; Italian World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the tournament. It makes him the 33rd player from the Top 100 to have pulled out from the Sunshine state.

Previously, the 24-year-old got an abdominal injury in the third round of the Australian Open 2021 against Russian Karen Khachanov. As a result, despite winning the match, he retired from his fourth-round encounter against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Apparently, the wound below his ribs has not yet healed, and he has hence decided to prolong his recovery period. Matteo Berrettini is the fifth Top 10 player to withdraw from Miami Open 2021; American Denis Kudla will take his place in the main draw.

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Matteo Berrettini joins the long list of Miami Open pullouts

Before Berrettini, the tennis trio – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – withdrew from Miami. Notably, this will be the first Masters 1000 event after the Paris Masters 2004 to have the big three missing.

Both the 20-time Grand Slam champions want to prioritize the Grand Slam tournaments; thus, they chose to opt-out. Meanwhile, in his statement of withdrawal, the Serbian World No. 1 said that he wants to spend more time with his family.

Apart from them, the reigning US Open champion, Austrian Dominic Thiem, also canceled the magic city from his calendar. Undoubtedly, he has had a rough start to 2021 and could use this time to focus on the coming clay season.

Indeed, it is a difficult time of year with COVID-19 still very much mobile. However, since the tennis season started in 2021, the Miami Open has been hit the hardest with a long list of withdrawals so far.

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Berrettini out; What to expect from the Miami Open 2021?

Despite so many withdrawals, there is still a lot to expect from the first Masters tournament of the year. It is an opportunity for the next-generation players to make the moment count.

Fans will have their eyes locked on the Australian Open finalist, Russian Daniil Medvedev, and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray. Other than them, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman are favorites to score the Sunshine title.

One cannot forget the Australian Open 2021 wonder Aslan Karatsev, who recently won his first ATP title in Dubai. Also, it will be an open chance for the underdogs and qualifiers to show their worth.

Miami Open 2021 will run from March 22, 2021 to April 4, 2021. Who do you think will win the Sunshine title this year?

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