Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini admitted he was extremely disappointed after a positive COVID-19 test forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon. Berrettini got off to a stunning start to the grass season, winning back-to-back titles in Stuttgart and Queen’s.
Berrettini was among top favorites for the Wimbledon title but then tested positive for COVID-19 on the day of his first round match versus Cristian Garin. Berrettini, who also skipped the French Open due to an injury, thought he was being cursed after an extremely unfortunate end to his Wimbledon hopes.
“At one point we said to ourselves there is something or someone who is cursing us, I don’t know,” Berrettini told Sportface.it.
Berrettini hopes for a big summer on hard courts
The positive thing about skipping Wimbledon was that Berrettini had some extra time off and now he is well-rested going into the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati.
“But first I would like to do well in the two Masters 1000,” Berrettini noted. “I’ve never played in Canada, I’ve never had great results in Cincinnati. I have a lot of motivation, competitive anger for what has been a bit taken away from me this season.”
Berrettini hasn’t played really much this year as he has appeared in just six tournaments over the first seven months of the season. Still, Berrettini is the 12th player on the Race to Turin list and he definitely has a shot at reaching the ATP Finals.
The prestigious season-ending tournament has been relocated from London to Turin and Berrettini has made it clear he wants to be there every year. “The season is still long, Turin remains a target for many reasons .
I feel I belong to that level, despite everything I am still in the race and I want to do my best to get there,” Berrettini added.
