WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Matteo Berrettini, last year’s runner-up at Wimbledon, withdrew from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament hours before he was due to play his first-round match Tuesday, saying he had tested positive for COVID-19.
The All England Club announced Berrettini’s retirement, and he posted it on Instagram, saying he was “heartbroken” and had been in isolation “the last few days” after experiencing flu-like symptoms.
He is the second high-profile player to withdraw from the draw in the first two days due to illness caused by the coronavirus, joining 2014 US Open champion and 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic, who was seeded 14. The group he is already without five of the top 11 in the ATP rankings: No. 1 Daniil Medvedev (Russian ban), No. 2 Alexander Zverev (ankle surgery), No. 8 Andrey Rublev (Russian ban), No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz (lost Monday) and No. 11 Berrettini.
An All England Club spokesman did not respond to a question about the level of concern about COVID-19 at the event, but said in an email that organizers have been working with the British public health agency and local authorities. .
“We have maintained enhanced hand cleaning and sanitizing operations, and offer full medical support for anyone feeling unwell. We are following UK guidelines on the assessment and isolation of any potential infectious disease,” the statement said. “Our player medical team also continues to wear face masks for any consultation.”
After being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, then 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 the use of masks. packed crowds and the famous queue back in action.
“Although the symptoms are not serious, I decided it was important to take another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone else involved in the tournament,” Berrettini wrote in his post, which included a black and white. blank photo of him serving at Wimbledon.
“I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel,” he said. “The dream is over for this year, but I will come back stronger.”
The eighth-seeded Italian spent time practicing with Rafael Nadal on Center Court last week and also crossed paths with Novak Djokovic there.
Berrettini was supposed to play Cristian Garin, ranked 44th in the world, in the first round on Tuesday. Berrettini was replaced on the field by Elias Ymer, who lost in qualifying but will now face Garin.
Berrettini was considered a Wimbledon title contender, both because of last year’s run to his first Grand Slam final at the All England Club before losing to Djokovic, and because of his recent form on grass.
“I mean, he’s definitely [one of the] the two, three best players in the world on grass in the last three years. I mean, his results are testament to that,” Djokovic said Monday about Berrettini. “This is probably his favorite surface. For his game, it is the most suitable surface. So there’s a lot of expectation from his side that he should go far in this tournament.”
The 26-year-old Berrettini, who relies on big serves and good forehands, won two tune-up tournaments on the surface this month, going 9-0 at Stuttgart, Germany, and Queen’s Club in London.
This is how he returned to action after being out since March due to an operation on his right hand.
In total, since the start of 2019, he is 32-3 on grass. Two of those three losses came against six-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic and eight-time champion Roger Federer.
Two other singles players withdrew from the tournament on Tuesday due to injuries: Danka Kovinic (lower back) and Wang Xiyu (left thigh). Kovinic was replaced on the field by Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, who faces Sonay Kartal.
Three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov has also withdrawn from his first-round match at Wimbledon against American opponent Steve Johnson after undergoing a medical evaluation of his leg.
Dimitrov, seeded No. 18, won the first set 6-4 and was down 5-2 in the second when the 31-year-old Bulgarian stopped playing on Court No. 2.
Dimitrov reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club in 2014.
Reference-www.espn.com