Matteo Berrettini Out of Wimbledon After Testing Positive for COVID-19

Matteo Berrettini joined a growing list of prominent male players who are out of the Wimbledon draw after testing positive for COVID-19 just hours before his opening match on Tuesday.

DraftKings Sportsbook previously listed Berrettini as the +550 second choice to win Wimbledon, behind only Novak Djokovic (-140).

Cilic, Berrettini both out with COVID

Berrettini, the No. 7 seed, joined No. 14 seed Marin Cilic, who also dropped out after a positive COVID-19 test. Cilic won the 2014 US Open and reached the final of Wimbledon in 2017, while Berrettini was the runner-up in last year’s Wimbledon.

“I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 test result,” Berrettini wrote on Instagram. “I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days. 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. I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel.”

Following Berrettini’s withdrawal, the All England Club said it would review its current COVID-19 measures.

“As a major, even we have and continue to work in conjunction with the UK Public Health Security Agency and our local authority,” a spokesperson for the All England Club said. “We have maintained enhanced cleaning and hand sanitizing operations, and offer full medical support for anyone feeling unwell.”

Cornet: Players stayed silent at French Open

The French Open concluded without any significant disruptions from COVID-19, though Barbora Krejcikova withdrew after a positive test. However, French player Alize Cornet said that players kept the spread of the coronavirus secret at Roland Garros.

“At Roland Garros there was an epidemic of COVID-19 and nobody talked about it,” Cornet told reporters on Tuesday. “In the locker room, everyone had it and we said nothing.”

Berrettini’s withdrawal shortened the odds on the top two players remaining in the field. Djokovic saw his chances improve, with DraftKings now listing him as a -165 pick to win Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal’s odds shortened from +750 to +450.

Several other top-10 players are out of the men’s draw at Wimbledon for various reasons. World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev couldn’t play in London due to a ban on Russian players. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is recovering from ankle surgery, while No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz lost his first-round match on Monday.