After several years dealing with injuries and missing a number of Grand Slam main draws, the Italian produced an heroic campaign to reach the quarter-finals, reviving hopes of winning his first Grand Slam title following the early exits of several favourites.
However, his run came to an unexpected end during his quarter-final clash against Matteo Arnaldi. The former World No. 6 was unable even to finish the second set and Arnaldi advanced to the semi-finals by a score of 7-5, 5-2 when Berrettini was forced to retire from the tournament due to injury.
Berrettini’s run included victories over Arthur Rinderknech (22nd seed) and Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who had earlier eliminated Sinner from the tournament. The four consecutive wins in Paris allow Berrettini to return to the top 50 – as World No. 48 – after beginning the tournament outside the top 100.
Wimbledon remains the goal after encouraging medical results for Berrettini
The Italian left a message for fans, providing positive news regarding his physical condition. Berrettini posted on Instagram a photo from his time at the French Open, where he revealed that he has not suffered any significant muscle injury and is already focusing his work on being ready to return to the courts at SW19.
“Leaving Paris with a smile on my face because of the great matches,” he wrote on his Instagram account. “I’ve played and because the scans done over the last few days didn’t detect any significant muscles injuries!”
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) during his 1/4 final round match at the 2026 Roland Garros
“I’m already working on my rehab with the goal of getting to Wimbledon in the best shape possible!,” added the former Wimbledon runner-up. “Throughout these two weeks and especially after my retirement I felt an amount of love and support that made me once again grateful and lucky to have such a great family, team, friends and fan base behind me! Grazie, always.”
Berrettini must now focus on his participation in the grass swing, where his main challenge will be Wimbledon – the third Grand Slam of the year and the tournament that has brought him the best results of his career, including a run to the final back in 2021 – where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic.
Berrettini awaits withdrawals to avoid Wimbledon qualifying draw
Back in the top 50, Berrettini is nevertheless entered in the Wimbledon qualifying event, his only grass-court tournament so far this year. The Italian did not make the entry list cut-off, which closed precisely the week before Roland Garros.
Berrettini used a ranking of No. 107 when entering Wimbledon, which left him as the third alternate on the list. That means only three withdrawals over the coming weeks would be enough for him to gain direct entry into the tournament.
He will have to wait for a few withdrawals or, failing that, he will be forced to play the qualifiers. He has not contested Grand Slam qualifying since the 2018 Australian Open, when he was defeated in the third qualifying round by Denis Kudla. This time – nine years later – he may once again have to fight from behind in order to secure a place in the main draw.
Matteo Berrettini at Roland Garros 2026
| Round | Opponent | Opponent Ranking | Result | Score |
| QF | Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) | No. 104 | Loss | 5-7, 2-5 RET |
| R16 | Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG) | No. 56 | Win | 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6) |
| R32 | Francisco Comesaña (ARG) | No. 102 | Win | 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(13) |
| R64 | Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) [22] | No. 25 | Win | 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| R128 | Marton Fucsovics (HUN) | No. 65 | Win | 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 |