London, United Kingdom – Title contender Matteo Berrettini was forced to pull out of Wimbledon on Tuesday after testing positive for coronavirus.

The early action at the All England Club on Tuesday was overshadowed by the announcement from Berrettini — last year’s runner-up — that he was out of the event.

“I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from @wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 test result,” the 26-year-old Italian wrote on Instagram.

Berrettini was widely regarded as one of the biggest threats to defending champion Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, having captured back-to-back grass-court titles in Stuttgart and Queen’s.

He is the second man to withdraw from Wimbledon with Covid in two days after 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic of Croatia also tested positive.

“I have no words to describe the extreme disappointment I feel,” Berrettini, seeded eighth, said in his statement. “The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger.”

The Italian was a potential semi-final opponent for two-time champion Nadal.

His place in the Wimbledon first round will be taken by Sweden’s Elias Ymer, a lucky loser from qualifying.

Wimbledon has returned to normal this year after the tournament was cancelled due to Covid in 2020 and last year was played in front of reduced crowds.

The All England Club said in a statement that protocols remained in place to minimise the risk of infection.

“We are following UK guidance around assessment and isolation of any potential infectious disease,” the statement said.

“Our player medical team also continue to wear face masks for any consultation.”