A less powerful serve than usual, a wrong right, the gaze lost towards the stands and the hand to cover his face before bursting into tears. Photographs and moments that told the retirement of Matteo Berrettini from the ATP Finals in Turin. To take his place was Jannik Sinner who after defeating the Austrian Hubert Hurkacz for 6-2 6-2, wanted to dedicate the victory to his friend Matteo: “Matteo you are an idol” written with a red marker on the camera before to pay homage to him also in his speech at the end of the game.
At the Finals these are scenes that unfortunately are often seen. After a long season of exhausting travels, exhausting schedules and considerable physical effort, the players arrive exhausted. Even the Greek, number three in the world, Stefanos Tsitsipas gave up and decided to give way to the British Cameron Norrie. There are already two retreats in this edition, but looking at the past this is not a novelty.
In the last 25 years it has already happened 10 times that a tennis player withdraws from the competition in the running and three times the withdrawals from the Finals have been two. In total, therefore, from 1996 to date 13 players have been fished out in the event that closes the world tennis year.
However, none of the players called up made it to the semifinals. But why are there so many retirements in this competition that pits the best players in the world against each other? There is no sure answer, but undoubtedly the fact that you play at the end of the season has an impact. Each tennis player follows his own training and decides which programming to follow with his staff. Not everyone plays the same tournaments, but it is obvious that towards the end of the year everyone is looking to make it into the top eight. Tiredness, tension and even bad luck. But what is sobering is that from the end of the 90s to today there have been even thirteen retreats.
The first to retire was Andre Agassi who in 1996 gave up his post to the Swedish Thomas Enqvist. The ’97 edition, on the other hand, was the first in which there were two retreats: Greg Rusedski and Sergi Bruguera. In their place, Thomas Muster and Tim Henman were rescued. The following year the same thing happened and Albert Costa took over from Marcelo Rios while Rusedski took over from Agassi.
Arriving in the 2000s, in 2002 it was again Agassi who retired by making Thomas Johansson enter the tournament in progress. The American also dropped out of the master’s degree in 2005 together with Rafael Nadal. In their place Mariano Puerta and the Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Finally, in 2008 Radek Stepanek took the place of Andy Roddick, in 2011 Janko Tipsarevic in place of Andy Murray, in 2014 David Ferrer replaced Milos Raonic, in 2016 David Goffin in place of Gael Monfils and lastly in 2017, Pablo Carreño Busta entered to replace Nadal.
In total, in the history of the Finals, there have been many retirements, but the reserves did not shine: only six wins in all, including Sinner’s last. There is certainly something to review. Players arrive exhausted and too often are forced to abandon this competition. New rules, a new format or a general rethinking of the calendar, something will have to be done because history speaks for itself.
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