Berrettini and Čilić forced to remove themselves from Wimbledon following positive COVID-19 tests

2021 Wimbledon runner-up, Matteo Berrettini, withdrew from the competition yesterday after testing positive for COVID-19. Berrettini was only hours away from playing his first round match against Cristian Garín, but decided to take another COVID test to be safe.

“Despite symptoms not being severe, 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 shared on Instagram.

Berrettini is the second high-ranked player to be removed from competition due to a positive COVID-19 test. Marin Čilić was slated to play Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament yesterday, but he, too, was forced to withdraw.

The 14th-seeded Čilić played in the 2017 Wimbledon final and was hoping to return this year only for his plans to be squashed by flu-like symptoms even with them being minor.

After Wimbledon being canceled in 2020 and the tournament being played in a bubble in 2021, the excitement for normalcy this year has been palpable. These players having to withdraw, however, puts a bit of a damper on the atmosphere.

The tournament is now without five of the top 11 ranked players in tennis. No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev are not competing due to the Russian ban, No. 2 Alexander Zverev is out with an ankle injury, No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz lost his first match on Monday to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina from Spain and now No. 11 Berrettini is out with COVID-19.

With several of the top players in the world sidelined for those various reasons, the trophy seems to be up for grabs this week. Novak Djokovic is certainly still a favorite, but with some of his top competition out, it opens the door for newcomers to make an impact in England and upset the 2021 Wimbledon champion.

Just a few days ago, Djokovic spoke on Berrettini’s strengths coming into the tournament, “I mean, he is definitely [one of the] top two, three players in the world on grass in the last three years. I mean, his results are testament to that.”

Despite Berrettini being out, this setback sounds like it will motivate him moving forward, “”I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel,” he said. “The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger.”