Tennis: Berrettini pulls out of ATP Finals

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 16 - Italy's Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday pulled out of the ATP Finals in Turin after an abdominal injury that forced him to retire from his opening match against Germany's Alexander Zverev on Monday night.
    "I have thought, reflected, cried and in the end I have decided. ..My Finals end here, I'm destroyed, I never would have thought I would have to pull out of the most important tennis event ever held in Italy in this way", said the 25-year-old Roman world number seven, who lost a hard-fought first set against Zverev before retiring hurt at 1-0 down in the second.
    Italy's world number 11 Jannik Sinner is set to come in for his injured compatriot, starting against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz Tuesday night.
    The Pole lost his opening match to world number two Daniil Medvedev, who is two games up and has one foot in the semis after also beating Zverev in a thriller, and who trained with Sinner earlier Tuesday.
    Berrettini added: "The truth is that however much I would have wanted to play in front of you again, I felt and therefore decided that my body is not ready to face the challenges I have ahead of me, and to say I am sad would not do justice to the state of mind I'm in, I feel robbed of something that I conquered with years of efforts and sweat.
    "It was not an easy decision, but I'm convinced that it is the best for me and my career. Thanks for your constant support and the thousands of messages you have sent me, you have moved me".
    Berrettini, who has been dogged by injury over the years, may now well be a doubt for the David Cup Finals in Turin against USA and Colombia, a round-robin tournament that starts November 25. (ANSA).