Matteo Berrettini retires with hip injury

Matteo Berrettini’s latest run at Roland-Garros ended on June 3 with another injury retirement, this time in the quarterfinals against fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi. Tournament organisers said a hip injury forced Berrettini to stop with Arnaldi leading 7-5, 5-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris. The result sent Arnaldi, ranked No. 104, into his first Roland-Garros semifinal, according to the tournament report. Berrettini later said he was “tired of retiring,” in comments reported by the BBC. ### How far had Berrettini gotten before the injury stopped him? Wednesday’s match lasted two hours before Berrettini retired in the second set, with the official score recorded as 7-5, 5-2 to Arnaldi. Roland-Garros said the injury was to Berrettini’s hip and described the stoppage as a premature end to a comeback tournament for a player who had missed the previous four editions in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) The quarterfinal had been set up as an all-Italian meeting after Arnaldi came through a five-set match against Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round. Roland-Garros said that win put Arnaldi into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal and noted he had spent 17 hours and 42 minutes on court reaching the last eight. ### Why was this run in Paris notable for Berrettini? (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said Berrettini was playing the tournament for the first time in five years and had spoken during the event about how much he was enjoying being back in Paris. The tournament’s coverage said he had missed the last four editions because of a series of injuries that altered the course of his career after he reached the 2021 Wimbledon final. (rolandgarros.com) Last week, Berrettini beat Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets to reach the third round, and Roland-Garros said it was his first trip to the last 32 of a major since 2023. After an earlier win, the tournament reported, Berrettini said his “resilient mind” had helped him manage the injuries he had faced in recent years. ### What did Berrettini say after stopping? (rolandgarros.com) The BBC reported that Berrettini said he was “tired of retiring” after the match, a remark that summed up the frustration of another injury interruption at a major. Roland-Garros did not include that quote in its match report, but its account said the ending was especially unfortunate given how openly Berrettini had spoken about his return to the event. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros also said Berrettini had made “no secret” of how much he was revelling in his return to the tournament. That made the retirement notable not only because it ended a quarterfinal, but because it cut short one of his deepest runs at a Grand Slam since his injury troubles intensified. ### What does the retirement change in the men’s draw? (rolandgarros.com) Arnaldi’s win by retirement put him into an all-Italian semifinal against Flavio Cobolli. The Roland-Garros news feed listed Cobolli’s quarterfinal result separately on June 3, and the tournament schedule placed the men’s semifinal on Thursday, June 4, in Paris. With Berrettini out, Arnaldi became the remaining Italian in that half of the draw and moved one match from the final. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said his quarterfinal victory by retirement made him only the second man in the Open era to win a Roland-Garros quarterfinal that way. ### What comes next in Paris? Thursday, June 4, is the scheduled date for Arnaldi’s semifinal against Cobolli at Roland-Garros. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros’ official site listed post-match press conferences for both Berrettini and Arnaldi on June 3 and carried the semifinal buildup in its tournament coverage. (rolandgarros.com)