After Marin Cilic, Matteo Berrettini has to cancel as the second ex-finalist in Wimbledon due to a corona infection. Andrea Petkovic advocates the return of a protective measure.
With a black and white photo and sad words, co-favorite Matteo Berrettini significantly exacerbated the corona concerns at the classic lawn in Wimbledon.
“Inconsolable”wrote last year’s Italian finalist and was the second prominent tennis professional after the previous one US Open Champion Marin Cilic announced his cancellation shortly before his opening game due to an infection with the virus. In view of the rapidly increasing number of positive tests in England and no restrictions for players and spectators, Corona is back in focus after the tournament was canceled two years ago.
“I have no words to describe how extremely disappointed I am”wrote Berrettini. “The dream for this year is over but I will come back stronger.” He has had cold symptoms for a few days and took a test in the morning, which was positive.
Berrettini had reached the final against Serbian Novak Djokovic in 2021 and was one of the top favorites to win the title. Most recently, after an operation on his right hand, he made a strong comeback and won the Wimbledon preparatory tournaments in Stuttgart and Queens.
Cilic also cancels
Four years before Berrettini, Cilic was also in the Wimbledon final. The 33-year-old canceled his start on Monday evening due to a coronavirus infection. “I still don’t feel good and I can’t do my best”, he wrote. Cilic was still on Thursday with the top seeded defending champion Djokovic Center Court trained. Djokovic says he is still unvaccinated. Both players and spectators must All England Lawn Tennis Club no proof of vaccination or negative tests.
There is also a tight crowd in the professional area, especially on the first days of the tournament. “When it rains all the players and all the guests are in the restaurant and there isn’t much seating”reported Andrea Petkovic after her first round elimination.
Petkovic wants masks to be compulsory indoors
The 34-year-old also spoke to the public about her own negative experiences French Open for the return of a measure. “If I had something to say, I would reintroduce the mask indoors,” she said, but also conceded: “It’s difficult because people also want to go back to normal life. It’s been really hard now, two years, I can understand that.”
The Darmstadt native had been infected with the corona virus around a month before Wimbledon. “I’ve been really sick for three days and then five days flat, I couldn’t have played like that,” said Petkovic. She assumes that she got infected in Paris, where for the first time there was no longer a mask requirement in the cabin. She initially wore a mask for the first three days. “Then people gave me such stupid looks because I was the only one.”
In Wimbledon, too, up to 42,000 spectators crowded the facility without masks, interviews with the professionals were conducted in narrow, windowless rooms. The number of positive tests in England had risen by more than a third to over 100,000 in seven days in the previous week.