"I'm ready again" - Matteo Berrettini shakes off injury woes, exudes confidence after reaching 3rd ATP final of 2024 at Gstaad
Matteo Berrettini's impressive run to the final of the 2024 Swiss Open in Gstaad marks a strong return for the Italian. He had a rough start to the season, as a right foot ailment forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open just before his first singles match. This was his fourth Grand Slam miss out of the last eight due to injury, with his early ailments raising questions about his shape and health.
Berrettini beat Roberto Carballes Baena to win the Grand Prix Hassan II, an ATP 250 event, in April. Jack Draper beat him in the Stuttgart Open final in June. He now has reached his third final of the season on Swiss clay. The 28-year-old advanced through the first two rounds of the competition with straight-set wins over Pedro Cachin and Daniel Elahi Galan.
The sixth seed went on to beat third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(7), 7-6(2) in the quarter-finals before dispatching top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(6), 7-5 in the semi-finals. For the title in Gstaad, Berrettini will face Quentin Halys of France on Sunday, July 21.
After his last-four clash with Tsitsipas, a confident Matteo Berrettini said (via Punto de Break):
"Little by little, I am gaining confidence and I notice that my level of play is rising. Tsitsipas is a great player, but today, I felt stronger than him. It means a lot to me to be playing in this final after so many months of problems. I'm ready again," he said.
The World No. 82 made a Grand Slam return at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships where an all-Italian clash on Centre Court saw him fall to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In a thrilling four-set battle, Sinner beat his compatriot 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4).
Matteo Berrettini's Power Game Tested by Injuries
Berrettini's past couple of years have been troublesome, with injuries forcing the Italian on the sidelines for months. A series of setbacks that began in 2022 have impeded his development and consistency. The Italian was forced to miss the majority of the 2022 clay season, including the French Open, due to a right-hand injury. In 2021, he reached the Wimbledon final (lost to Novak Djokovic), but tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022 and couldn't play.
An abdominal injury forced Berrettini to skip the 2023 Italian Open and 2023 French Open. The Italian also had to retire in the second round of the 2023 US Open after rolling his ankle during the match. He again missed the Australian Open and the French Open in 2024.
Berrettini will now be gearing up for a strong comeback in the final of the 2024 Swiss Open, where he faces French tennis player Quentin Halys at the Roy Emerson Arena in Gstaad, Switzerland. A win would give Matteo Berrettini his ninth ATP singles title.