Berrettini joins Wimbledon missing list in decimated men's draw | Tennisspeak

By Nikhilodien June 29, 2022

"Berrettini joins Wimbledon missing list"

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Tennisspeak: Some would argue that when the name of the 2022 men's singles champion is inscribed on the Wimbledon honors board in 12 days, an asterisk should be added next to it.

After testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Matteo Berrettini withdrew, leaving an already-scarce men's draw without yet another notable name.

The strong Italian eighth seed, who finished second to Novak Djokovic last year, was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament after showcasing his grass-court prowess by taking first place in two warm-up events at Queen's Club and Stuttgart.

The previous evening, Croatian Marin Cilic—a past U.S. Open winner and Wimbledon runner-up—was also disqualified due to a positive COVID-19 test, and the event's officials are hoping there won't be any more in the coming days.

World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev was already absent from the men's draw due to the All England Club's ban on Russian players, and Germany's Alexander Zverev, who is ranked second in the world, is recovering from ankle surgery after suffering an injury during his French Open semi-final match against Rafael Nadal.

The top two players in the world are not participating in Wimbledon or any other Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 1999 Australian Open when the ATP rankings were originally created.

Seven of the top 23 players in the world were absent from the first round, including Frenchman Gael Monfils due to injury, Andrey Rublev, who is ranked eighth, and Karen Khachanov, who is placed 22nd.

Hubert Hurkacz, the seventh seed and in-form Pole who defeated Roger Federer last year was eliminated in the first round, while on Tuesday, former semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov quit due to injury.

The record eight-time winner Federer, who has not played a match since losing to Hurkacz last year, is the most glaring absentee of them.

Federer's name does not feature in the men's main draw for the first time since 1998.

There is still a tonne of talent left, of course, as top seed Novak Djokovic aims to win Wimbledon for a fourth time in a row to reach 21 major victories, and second seed Rafa Nadal continues to pursue a calendar Grand Slam.

These two have won 14 of the last 16 Grand Slam tournaments, with the remaining two falling to Dominic Thiem and Dmitry Medvedev, both of whom were absent from Wimbledon.

With third seed Casper Ruud, who won his first Wimbledon match on Monday, hardly being seen as a significant threat to the top two, the rest of the competition is now quite open.

Given the absence of so many notable players, players like American John Isner, 37, and double champion Andy Murray, 35, who play each other on Wednesday in the second round, may begin to feel more confident about their chances.

The 15th seed, towering American Reilly Opelka, will also be aiming for a deep run, but he feels that the event has become less competitive as a result of the ban on Russian players and other absentees.

"Not as important as normal, for sure," he said after his first-round win on Tuesday. "Just an inferior accomplishment."

Content Source:- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/berrettini-joins-wimbledon-missing-list-decimated-mens-draw-2775346

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