Wimbledon’s Covid-19 protocols are under review after Matteo Berrettini was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon on the morning of his first-round match after testing positive for Covid-19.
Berrettini, the eighth seed, was one of the biggest contenders for the title after reaching the Wimbledon final last year. After nearly three months out due to a finger operation, the Italian had returned to the start of the turf season and immediately won nine games in a row, with titles at Stuttgart and Queen’s.
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The revision comes after 14th seed, Marin Cilic, another former finalist and semi-finalist of the French Open earlier this month, also withdrew from the tournament on Monday after testing positive for Covid-19 , fueling fear of an outbreak among the group of players. . While Cilic was training with reigning men’s champion Novak Djokovic in the days leading up to the tournament, Berrettini was training with second seed Rafael Nadal.
Although last year’s Wimbledon was held under major Covid protocols, this year’s event returned to normal. There are no preventive protocols for players in this year’s tournament, with the All England Club following instructions from the UK government. Following the recent outbreak, the All England Club will review its current measures on Tuesday. “As an important event, we have and continue to work together with the UK Public Health Safety Agency and our local authority,” an All England Club spokesman said on Tuesday.
“We have maintained improved hand cleaning and disinfection operations and offer full medical support to anyone who feels unwell. We are following the UK’s instructions on assessing and isolating any potential infectious disease. Our medical team of players also continues to use masks for any queries “.
Berrettini had to compete against Cristian Garin in the first round and was expected to make another deep run considering his form and comfort on the surface.
In a statement on Instagram, Berrettini announced his retirement and conveyed his disappointment. “It broke my heart to announce that I had to retire from @wimbledon due to a positive Covid-19 test result. I had flu symptoms and have been isolating for the last few days. Although the symptoms they were not serious, 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. “I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel. The dream is over for this year, but I will come back stronger.”