Matteo Berrettini has pulled out of the 2026 Australian Open, dealing another blow to what’s already shaping up to be a competitive tournament.
The Italian’s withdrawal isn’t exactly surprising if you’ve been following his career lately. Injuries have been his biggest enemy over the past few years.
Many tennis fans think Berrettini could’ve been a consistent top player if his body hadn’t let him down so often. The guy’s got one of the biggest serves on tour, but he just can’t seem to stay healthy.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matteo Berrettini | 29 | 630 | 5 - 2 |
His latest problem? An oblique injury that’s been bothering him since the clay-court season last year.
That same injury kept him out of the French Open in 2025. In fact, Berrettini hasn’t played at Roland-Garros since 2021 because of various physical issues. That’s pretty rough for someone who should be in his prime years.
Even though he’s been playing tournaments since last year’s French Open, the oblique problem never really went away completely.
Berrettini broke the news on Instagram, explaining why he had to make the difficult decision:
“As you probably saw, I had to pull out of the AO. It’s never easy to take these kinds of decisions, but, unfortunately, i’ve felt discomfort in my obliques once again and I won’t be ready to perform at my best level for 5 sets.”
“It hurts because playing in Australia has always been special, and after four weeks intense training, I was excited and ready to get going. I’m hoping and feeling that I won’t be out from the tennis courts for a long time. Thanks a lot for your support and understanding, your kind words mean more than you can imagine…”
You can hear the frustration in his words. Four weeks of intense training, only to have to pull out right before the tournament starts.
The former Wimbledon runner-up really deserves better luck with injuries. Hopefully this latest recovery period will actually stick this time.
Djokovic Ready Despite Practice Scare
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic seems ready to go despite some concerning moments during practice.
The 38-year-old has been pretty clear about his priorities these days. At this stage of his career, it’s all about the Grand Slams.
And this one’s huge for him. Djokovic is sitting on 24 Grand Slam titles, just one away from 25. That would put him alone at the top, ahead of Margaret Court’s record that he’s currently tied with.
Most people already consider Djokovic the greatest player in tennis history. But breaking that tie with Court? That would be a massive moment.
Djokovic was supposed to play the Adelaide International as a warm-up, but he withdrew because he didn’t feel ready to compete so soon after the off-season. Smart move, really – he’s saving everything for Melbourne.
But then fans got worried when Djokovic was in pain during a practice session and had to cut it short.
At 38, those little aches and pains are more concerning than they used to be. When you’re younger, you can just push through minor issues. At Djokovic’s age, you have to be more careful.
Fortunately, Djokovic didn’t seem bothered when he spoke to the media. He even said he thinks he can fight with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for the title.
That’s classic Djokovic confidence right there.
Last year was interesting for the Serbian. He reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams, which is pretty amazing at his age. But he struggled physically from that point onward in most tournaments.
If he can get to the semis again this year, he’ll be hoping his body holds up better when it really counts.
The draw just got a little easier without Berrettini, but Djokovic will still need to be at his best to add that historic 25th title to his collection.
