The 2025 Internazionali BNL d’Italia took a heartbreaking turn for Italian tennis fans as home favorite Matteo Berrettini was forced to retire during his third-round match against Casper Ruud on Monday. The emotional exit left the Foro Italico crowd in stunned silence and raised fresh concerns about Berrettini’s ongoing battle with injuries.
Berrettini, a former World No. 6 and one of Italy’s brightest tennis stars, was competing in front of an adoring home crowd, hoping to make a deep run in the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event. However, his campaign came to an abrupt end as he withdrew mid-match, handing Ruud a path to the fourth round. While the exact reason for Berrettini’s retirement was not immediately disclosed, speculation points to a possible recurrence of the abdominal issues that have plagued him in recent years.
A Pattern of Physical Setbacks
Berrettini’s 2025 season has been marred by physical challenges. Just weeks before Rome, the 29-year-old retired during the third round of the Madrid Open against Jack Draper due to an abdominal injury, which forced him to skip subsequent tournaments. His history includes similar abdominal troubles in 2023 and 2024, as well as a significant ankle injury in 2023 that sidelined him for parts of the season.
The lack of official details about the Rome injury has left fans and analysts speculating. Given Berrettini’s documented struggles with abdominal and oblique problems, it’s plausible that the same or a related issue flared up during the match against Ruud. The physical toll of his powerful playing style, which relies heavily on a booming serve and aggressive groundstrokes, may be exacerbating these recurring injuries.
An Emotional Exit
The moment of Berrettini’s retirement was laden with emotion. As he walked off the court, the Italian star appeared visibly distraught, his head bowed as the weight of another injury setback sank in. The Rome crowd, which had been passionately cheering their hometown hero, fell into a somber hush before offering a supportive ovation. For Berrettini, who has often spoken about the pride he takes in representing Italy, the early exit in Rome was undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow.
Casper Ruud, the 2022 French Open finalist, expressed sympathy for his opponent post-match, acknowledging the difficulty of advancing under such circumstances. “It’s never how you want to win a match,” Ruud said. “Matteo is a great player and a great guy. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Ruud in Rome, ranking, and results in 2025
Now the world no.7, the Norwegian achieved an overall 23-6 win-loss record in 2025. Casper is now having a run in Rome where he beat the world no.76 Alexander Bublik 6-4 4-6 6-3
and the world no.30 Matteo Berrettini 7-5 2-0 ret..Casper Ruud will come up against the world no.66 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar in the 4th round. Their actual head to head record is 5-1 for Ruud.
Ruud clinched 1 title in 2025 in Madrid. The Norwegian got to the final in Dallas (Dallas Open).
The Norwegian won 13 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts and 12 on clay courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Geneva (Gonet Geneva Open) on the 19th of May and French Open (French Open) on the 25th of May.
Matteo Berrettini in 2025
At the moment ranked no.30, Berrettini played his last match on the 12th of May when he had to retire when playing against world no.7 Casper Ruud in the 3rd round and the scoreline was 7-5 2-0 .
This season Berrettini has achieved a compiled 13-10 win-loss record.
He is also scheduled to play at the French Open (French Open) on the 25th of May.
Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini clashed against each other 8 times. Their record is 5-3 for Ruud.