After testing positive for Covid-19, former Wimbledon champions Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini were both forced to retire from the tournament.
In the run-up to Wimbledon, Berrettini won back-to-back championships in Stuttgart and at Queen's Club. On Tuesday, he revealed the shocking news in an Instagram post. The Italian, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the year's finals, was undefeated on grass this year and was emerging as a Wimbledon title candidate.
The heartbreaking news came after Cilic's previous announcement of his retirement from the US Open on Monday. Rafael Nadal and the Croatian were drawn on the same side of the court, and the 22-time grand slam champion was expected to face each other in the quarterfinals. In 2017, Cilic advanced to the Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by eight-time champion Roger Federer in straight sets.
The Croatian claimed that after being ill, he withdrew himself and stayed inside to avoid coming into direct contact with others while feeling sick. However, the Covid-19 test resulted positive, forcing the 14th seed to to withdraw from the grand slam.