Matteo Berrettini‘s French Open campaign came to a heartbreaking end in the quarterfinals. He suffered a devastating hip injury during the second set of his clash against Matteo Arnaldi, forcing him to withdraw at 5-7. 2-5. The setback crushed his hopes of securing a maiden semifinal berth at the Grand Slam. At first, it appeared that the injury would also jeopardize Berrettini’s participation in the grass swing. However, the Italian has now shared a positive update about his condition.

“Leaving Paris with a smile on my face because of the great matches I’ve played and because the scans done over the last few days didn’t detect any significant muscles injuries!” he wrote on an Instagram post. “I’m already working on my rehab with the goal of getting to Wimbledon in the best shape possible!”

Having not sustained any serious injury and nearing a full recovery, Berrettini is now aiming to have a strong campaign at Wimbledon. The SW19 is a tournament where he has enjoyed considerable success in the past. His one and only Grand Slam final appearance had come at the Wimbledon Championships in 2021.

Though Berrettini had lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets at the time, it still proved to be quite a memorable campaign for him. However, the Italian hasn’t been able to make it past the R16 in the three editions that he has played since then. The lowest point came last year as he got knocked out by Kamil Majchrzak in the first round of the Championships. Moreover, this was the only match that he played on his strongest surface during the entire season.

This was mainly because of the right oblique injury that Berrettini had sustained at the Italian Open in May. This setback had also led to his withdrawal from the French Open. It looked as if the 30-year-old would have to suffer from a similar fate this year as well after he left the Parisian clay-courts with an injury. However, with him now almost being back to full fitness, he will be aiming to make the most out of the grass swing.

Though Berrettini has won six titles on clay in comparison to his four on grass, it won’t be wrong to say that he prefers to play on the latter surface. He has an impressive career win-loss record of 42-12 on grass and a win percentage of approximately 77.4%. Though he isn’t a traditional serve-and-volleyer, he has multiple other weapons that prove to be quite effective on the surface.

Berrettini is able to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm through his strong serve and net skills. He is also able to dictate rallies through his heavy forehand, which often helps him in winning points on a quick and consecutive basis.

Though Berrettini appears to be excited for his return to Wimbledon later this month, there is no guarantee that he will be able to gain a direct entry into the main draw.

Matteo Berrettini may have to enter the Wimbledon qualifiers

Though he may be back in the top 50 following his impressive campaign at the French Open, his updated rank will not reflect at Wimbledon. This is because the deadline for main draw entry and wildcards ends six weeks before the tournament kicks off.

Berrettini had used a rank of No. 107 to enter Wimbledon, which leaves him in the qualifier list instead of the main draw. This means that he will only be able to gain a direct entry into the main draw if at least three qualifiers withdraw from the Grand Slam.

There is a major possibility that Berrettini would have to participate in Grand Slam qualifying for the first time in over eight years. The last time that the Italian had played in the qualifiers was at the 2018 Australian Open, where he had been defeated in the third round by Denis Kudla.

However, he had still managed to enter the tournament’s main draw as a lucky loser but was eliminated in the first round by Adrian Mannarino. Notably, Berrettini has never competed in the qualifying matches at SW19 before, so this would be a brand-new experience for him.

Will Berrettini have to fight for a place in Wimbledon’s main draw, or will he manage to avoid the qualifying matches? We will have to wait and see.