For the third year running, Matteo Berrettini will miss his hometown tournament—this time as the result of an illness that also kept him out of the Mutua Madrid Open.
On Wednesday, the Rome native withdrew from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Berrettini, who was scheduled to face countryman Stefano Napolitano Thursday, explained that he needed to take a head-over-heart approach with his decision to forgo competing.
“I’m not ready to perform and to give my best on court. I tried everything because this tournament is extra special for me,” Berrettini said in a statement to press.
“I have to put away my heart, I would say, use my brain a little bit more. Think about what’s most important for me, which is my health and not getting injured again, not being away from the courts for months potentially.”
