WIMBLEDON, England – Last year’s runner-up Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon left the grass Grand Slam tournament hours before he was scheduled to play his first-round match on Tuesday, saying he tested positive for COVID-19 .
The All England Club announced Berrettini’s retirement, and he posted about it on Instagram, saying he had a “broken heart” and that he had isolated himself “in recent days” after experiencing flu-like symptoms. .
He is the second high-profile player to withdraw from the draw for the first two days due to coronavirus disease, joining 2014 U.S. Open champion and 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic.
After being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, establishing a bubble environment and restricting attendance in 2021 to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Wimbledon has returned to normal in every way, without any requirements to wear a mask. crowds full and the famous Tail returns to action.
“While the symptoms were not severe, I decided it was important to do another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone involved in the tournament,” Berrettini wrote in his post, which included a black and white commentary. -white photo of him doing a service at Wimbledon.
“I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel. The dream is over this year, but I will come back stronger.”
The Italian, eighth seed, spent some time training with Rafael Nadal on the central court last week and also crossed paths with Novak Djokovic there.
Berrettini was due to play in the first round on Tuesday against Cristian Garin, ranked 44th. Berrettini was replaced by Elias Ymer, who lost in the standings but will now face Garin.
Berrettini was considered a Wimbledon title contender, both for last year’s race in his first Grand Slam final at the All England Club before losing to Djokovic, and for his recent form on grass.
“I mean, he’s definitely (one of) two or three of the world’s best players on turf in the last three years. I mean, his results prove it,” Djokovic said Monday about Berrettini. “This is probably his favorite surface. For his game, it’s the most suitable surface. So there are a lot of expectations on his part that he should get far in this tournament.”
The 26-year-old Berrettini, who relies on great service and great rights, won two surface tuning tournaments this month, 9-0 in Stuttgart, Germany, and at Queen’s Club in London.
That’s how he got back into action after being sidelined since March due to a right hand operation.
In total, since the beginning of 2019, it has 32-3 on grass. Two of those three defeats were against six-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic and eight-time champion Roger Federer.
Another player left the tournament on Tuesday when Danka Kovinic retired due to a back injury. She was replaced on the field by Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, who faces Sonay Kartal.