Matteo Berrettini's hard luck continues as right foot injury rules him out of Australian Open

It may be a new year, but Matteo Berrettini still can’t catch a break.

With Day 1 underway at the Australian Open, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist withdrew from the Melbourne major with a right foot injury, adding to the laundry list of health issues that have plagued the Italian in recent years.

Berrettini was due to meet reigning runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster first-rounder. The No. 7 seed will instead face lucky loser Zizou Bergs on Monday.

Last year Down Under, Berrettini was sent packing in the first round by Andy Murray after failing to convert a match point in a thriller five-set encounter. He later missed Roland Garros with an abdominal issue before returning to post an encouraging fourth-round showing at the All England Club.

His hard luck resurfaced at the US Open, when the Rome native suffered a right ankle injury during the second set of his second-round match with Arthur Rinderknech and later confirmed he had ruptured a ligament after retiring from that contest. Berrettini was relegated to cheering on his countrymen from the sidelines at November's Davis Cup Finals, where Italy celebrated its first title run since 1976.

In 2022, he missed both Roland Garros and Wimbledon—the former with a hand injury and the latter as a result of contracting COVID-19. The 27-year-old is currently ranked No. 125.