Popular Italian tennis Matteo Berrettini was involved in a scary moment on court against Andy Murray after appearing to nearly faint ahead of a serve. The Italian has endured a brutal run of injuries in 2023, which saw his season end in the second round of the US Open having retired hurt with an ankle injury.
He then withdrew from the Australian Open to start the 2024 season. The 27-year-old Italian was looking to get back to winning ways having taken part in a Challenger event in Phoenix last week. And he had been drawn against Murray in the first round of the Miami Open.
The Italian stunned viewers when he won the first set to leave Murray reeling. However, the Italian appeared to physically fade early in the second. And it was here the 27-year-old needed attention after nearly fainting ahead of a serve.
Berrettini stumbled after bouncing the ball, but managed to stay on his feet with the help of his racquet. He received a timeout as complained of dizziness. While tennis players often compete in brutal conditions on court, the temperature was only 24C and heat couldn’t have been a major factor in the scary scenes.
Fortunately for Berrettini he was able to continue after a four minute break. Murray lifted his game in the second and third having been able to dictate points with his forehand. The World No.62 was able to close out the three-set encounter. At the net, Murray asked his opponent if he was feeling better having battled through the fatigue.
Berrettini confirmed he was and thanked Murray for the words. Fans were left worried for Berrettini who once again appeared to struggle on his comeback.
Berrettini felt dizzy and almost fell. The doctor entered the court to check his blood pressure. Now he is back on court. pic.twitter.com/k1xVPDWPj5
— Relevant Tennis (@RelevantTennis) March 20, 2024
Matteo Berrettini almost fell over as he was about to serve
Truly terrible to see this after everything he’s gone through with injuries.
The temperature is 76 degrees, not super hot for Miami.
Arthur Cazaux fainted earlier this week.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 20, 2024
Andy Murray earns vital victory after tough run
Murray has not been past the round of 16 in any tournament so far in 2024, but has shown glimpses of a fightback. While struggling against the big serving Italian in the first set, Murray was pleased with his game. And he finished his time on court having wrote: “Life in the old dog yet” on the camera lens.
“It was obviously a great win for me,” he said. “I started off a little bit slow, but I do think I played pretty well from the middle of the first set until the end of the match. “I created a lot of opportunities and he was struggling for a little bit at the end of the second and beginning of the third. I capitalised on that and got off to a quick start in the third. I served it out well in the end.”
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Murray’s victory also helped him join both Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal as the three players to have won 30 or more matches in Miami. Djokovic has won 44 matches, while Nadal has won 40.
