The reigning Queens champion and last year’s runner-up Matteo Berrettini WITHDRAWS from Wimbledon after testing positive for Covid-19, leaving Cristian Garin as his first-round opponent.
This year’s finalist Matteo Berrettini withdrew from Wimbledon on Tuesday morning owing to a case of the Covid-19 virus, dealing a severe blow to the tournament.
After winning the Queen’s, the well-liked Italian, who was in excellent form, joined past runner-up Marin Cilic in withdrawing, further thinning out the competition in the absence of Russians and Belarussians.
Wimbledon last year barely suffered any effects from the pandemic, with British player Jo Konta being the sole notable casualty.
The eighth seed was sent a message of sympathy by Wimbledon’s official Twitter account, which read: “We’ll miss you, Matteo – come back stronger in 2023.”
Elias Ymer of Sweden has been drawn to replace Berrettini, who was scheduled to face Chile’s Cristian Garin in his opening round at 1 pm BST on Tuesday.
After defeating British Sir Andy Murray in the Stuttgart final and earning the Queen’s championship, he has won his last nine matches on grass courts.
