"The dream is over for this year" - Matteo Berrettini withdraws from Wimbledon after testing positive for COVID-19

Last year's Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini has been forced to withdraw from this year's edition of the grasscourt Slam after returning a positive COVID-19 test on Tuesday.

The Italian, who has been touted by many as amongst the top two favorites to win the title at the All England Club this year, took to Instagram to announce his withdrawal.

"I am heartbroken to announce that I need to withdraw from @wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 test result," Matteo Berrettini wrote on Instagram.

Berrettini was due to lock horns against Cristian Garin in the first round on Tuesday. Lucky loser Elias Ymer replaced the Italian in the draw and will now face Garin in the first round.

He revealed that he had been suffering from "flu symptoms," which prompted him to take a COVID-19 test on Tuesday morning.

"I have had flu symptoms and been isolating the last few days," added the Italian. "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."

Berrettini expressed his disappointment at missing Wimbledon, which has been his most successful Slam.

"I have no words to describe the extreme disappointed I feel," he said. "The dream is over for this year, but I will be back stronger. Thank you for the support."

The 26-year-old Italian has won his past nine matches on grass after winning the Stuttgart final - where he beat Britain's Andy Murray - before going on to retain his title at Queen's.

He dropped only a single set at the Queen's Club Championships, indicating that he, along with Djokovic and Nadal, would be the man to beat at the SW19 this year.

Matteo Berrettini trained with Rafael Nadal ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon campaign

Matteo Berrettini's positive COVID-19 test has sparked fears regarding Rafael Nadal's well-being in the latter's fanbase. This is because the Italian trained alongside the Mallorcan a couple of days before the commencement of the 2022 Wimbledon campaign.

This comes after it was discovered that Marin Cilic, who is now COVID-19 positive, practiced with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic a few days ahead of the grasscourt Slam.

So far, Djokovic and Nadal seem safe from the COVID-19 scare, but there is always a chance of them returning positive COVID-19 test results, given they will be getting tested a lot more often in the wake of Cilic and Berrettini's results.