Italian tennis ace Matteo Berrettini quickly established himself as a force to reckon with after bursting onto the scene on the ATP tour. However, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist is currently going through a rough patch in his career. Hoping to make a successful comeback to the grass courts, Matteo Berrettini returned to action at the Stuttgart Open. But things didn’t go as planned for the 27-year-old.
Berrettini’s last ATP tour outing came back in April at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he had to withdraw from his 3rd round encounter with Holger Rune due to an abdominal injury. This forced him to pull out of the French Open 2023 for the second year on the trot.
Fans empathize with a tearful Matteo Berrettini after his early Stuttgart Open exit
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Matteo Berrettini’s comeback to the tour ended on a bitter note, as he was ousted from round 1 of the Stuttgart Open, an event he won last year. He was defeated 6-1, 6-2 by compatriot Lorenzo Sonego. As he was seen exiting the arena with tearful eyes after his loss, the crowd appluaded in support of the Italian.
Matteo Berrettini left the court in tears today after his loss to Lorenzo Sonego in Stuttgart
This was his first match back in 2 months
The crowd applauded him as he left the court & tried to lift his spirits in whatever way they could ❤️🩹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 12, 2023
The Twitterati was prompt in reacting to this unfortunate incident.
A fan spoke about the pangs of professional tennis, ” Professional tennis tour is so so tough especially on mental aspect. I feel you Mateo? Heads up brother?? “.
Professional tennis tour is so so tough especially on mental aspect. I feel you Mateo… Heads up brother👏👏 https://t.co/vEzeB4ocig
— イシュメール (@ki_favstff) June 12, 2023
Another empathized, “Not a good look for tennis.”
Not a good look for tennis https://t.co/cLI1GgqOrU
— L & U Sports (@loud_uninformed) June 12, 2023
A user said, “That camera man is very unserious.”
That camera man is very unserious https://t.co/Lz7pM2EBG3
— Black Princess Diana (@layla_job) June 13, 2023
One fan directed their anger towards the cameraman, “There was no need to put the camera on his face like that.”
There was no need to put the camera on his face like that https://t.co/bAQo51jysB
— Brown eyes (@gungun005) June 12, 2023
Another user showed support for Berrettini, “Forza Berretta ??”.
Forza Berretta ❤️ https://t.co/5XiDWX0ryO
— Andrea Cassano (@Andrat0s8) June 12, 2023
One fan empathized with the Italian star and mentioned how time is slowly running out for him at the highest level.
Berrettini me da una pena, en sus días bueno se disfruta mucho verlo jugar y el talento lo tiene pero están pasando los años y no logra explotarlo https://t.co/C0BAip3H22
— Itz (@ItzMontesinos) June 12, 2023
A user rooted for Berrettini, “Come on Mat, we want you stronger than before! ?”.
Forza Mat, ti vogliamo più forte di prima! 💓 https://t.co/ErBm2alKEZ
— Carlo Di Gregorio (@carlodigre) June 12, 2023
Another theorized, “It hurts to see him like this because he has a lot of potential. The thing is that Sonego came in to play and kill today, he didn’t give him a chance at all, Berrettini looked bad. Another thing to do is see whether to focus on tennis or other things. It seems that he has his priorities on the other hand and is taking its toll on him.”
Duele verlo asi porque tiene mucho potencial. La cosa es que Sonego entro a jugar y a matar hoy, no le dio chance de nada, se vio mal mal Berrettini.
Otra cosa que debe hacer es ver si enfocarse en el Tenis o en otras cosas. Pareciera que tiene sus prioridades por otro lado y… https://t.co/rALxfseDyA
— Strictly Sports HN (@StrictlyHN) June 12, 2023
One fan expressed heartbreak, “This video slowly destroys me ??”.
Este vídeo me destroza lentamente 💔💔 https://t.co/in2yaKGQFA
— Andriu🤍 (@aurynjosh92) June 12, 2023
Another user stated, “crying with him ??”.
llorando con él 🥹🥹 https://t.co/5ByvjMDXF3
— Belen Acosta (@belenacosta28) June 12, 2023
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Berrettini’s on-court woes continue
After being absent from the ATP tour for 2 months, Matteo Berrettini looked to restart his 2023 campaign with new vigor at the Stuttgart Open. But his lackluster performance against Sonego is an indication that perhaps he is yet to fully recover from his abdominal injury. Although he started the season on a positive note by helping Italy reach the United Cup finals, an abdominal injury at the Monte Carlo Masters derailed his campaign.
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With Wimbledon knocking on the door, Berrettini will look to bounce back right in time before his favorite grand slam.
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