"We said to ourselves that there is something or someone who is cursing us" - Matteo Berrettini after COVID-19 ruled him out of Wimbledon last month
Matteo Berrettini was the favorite to clinch the 2022 Wimbledon title after Novak Djokovic. Even Rafael Nadal, who is undefeated at this year's Grand Slams, was placed behind the Italian.
However, fate had other ideas, as Berrettini tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the grass Slam on the day of his first-round match against Chilean Cristian Garin.
Speaking to Italian media outlet SPORTface, he stated that he left London thinking about his title win at the Queen's Club Championships rather than the disappointment of Wimbledon.
“It was absurd. My team tried not to look too sad, at one point I clung to the hope that I was positive before and that I could be negative by Tuesday for the match with Garin. But that did not happen. At one point, we said to ourselves that there is something or someone who is cursing us, I don't know," Berrettini said.
"But I've always tried to look on the bright side. I tried to leave London with the memory of Queen's and not of Wimbledon," he added.
Berrettini is on a roll 😤 https://t.co/vIrRt9Q9Q1
The 26-year-old reached the Wimbledon final last year, losing to Djokovic in four sets. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in four consecutive Grand Slams, starting with the 2021 French Open.
Matteo Berrettini returns to Gstaad, will compete in both singles and doubles
Matteo Berrettini missed the entire clay swing this season after injuring his hand earlier this year. The World No. 15 returned from a three-month layoff and started strong, winning the Stuttgart Open and the Queen's Club Championships ahead of Wimbledon.
After his disappointing exit from SW19, he is set to compete in the Swiss Open in Gstaad, where he won his first-ever singles title in 2018. Besides singles, the Italian is also participating in the doubles along with his brother Jacopo Berrettini.
Reporting for duty: Matteo Berrettini 🙌🔨🇮🇹
@MattBerrettini | #ThisIsTennis https://t.co/Kh4g0QgegG
Berrettini expressed his desire to do well in all upcoming events and said that his "competitive anger" was motivating him to compensate for the unfortunate incident in London.
"First, I would like to do well in the two Masters 1000 tournaments. I've never played in Canada, I've never had great results in Cincinnati. In the meantime, I expect to be able to play them from the next tournaments. I have a lot of motivation and competitive anger for what has been taken away a little from me this season," Berrettini stated.