MARRAKESH: Italy's Matteo Berrettini, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021, won his first match on the main ATP circuit on Tuesday after an injury-plagued seven months.
The former world N0. 6, who has slipped to 135th, dispatched 56th-ranked Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1 on the clay in Morocco.
The Italian will next play Spaniard Jaume Munar in the second round.
"Seven months without playing is a long time," said Berrettini. "I missed it and that's why I have so much energy."
The 27-year-old limped out of the US Open last August after rupturing right ankle ligaments and was forced to pull out of the Australian Open on the eve of his return with a foot injury.
Berrettini reached the final of a Challenger event in Phoenix in March but lost in the first round of the Masters 1000 in Miami to Andy Murray later that same month.
A former US Open and Australian Open semi-finalist, the Italian has been beset by injuries over the past few years with hand surgery in 2022 and abdominal problems the following year. — AFP
