Italian Matteo Berrettini has had his Wimbledon journey come to an abrupt end after testing positive for Covid-19, subsequently withdrawing from the tournament hours before his opening match.
The 26-year-old broke the news of his positive test on his Instagram page with a statement reading: “I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 test result. I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days.
“I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel. The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger.”
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Last year’s finalist was tipped as one of the favourites to become the men's singles champion at the All England Club this summer having been in exceptional form over the course of the grass season. His record was 9-0 and recently he claimed his second consecutive Queen’s Championship title, looking a lot stronger ahead of another title shot at Wimbledon.
He only made his return from injury at the Stuttgart Open earlier this month, beating Andy Murray in the final, and to now suffer this setback is a cruel reminder of how quickly things can change in sport.
The world No. 11 was set to face Chilean Cristian Garin on Court 1 on Tuesday afternoon but now his Wimbledon journey is over and he now has to wait for another crack at becoming champion in SW19. Berrettini was in the same half of the draw as Spaniard Rafael Nadal, whom he was set to meet in the semi-finals.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
