I saw this news on the home page of the ATP site yesterday, but cringed at the coyness of the American text. OEM in today's Net Post on the Times site puts it rather better, though I still have a problem with the use of "passed away" instead of "died":
The tennis world was in mourning yesterday for 28-year-old Federico Luzzi of Italy, who passed away on Saturday from a rapid form of leukaemia. Luzzi played in a league match in Sardinia last weekend, when he complained of feeling dizzy and had to stop. A couple of days later, still feeling feverish, he checked himself into hospital in his home town of Arezzo, soon after which he lapsed into a coma.
The first question asked of the public relations team by Rafael Nadal, when the world No. 1 arrived in Paris for the BNP Paribas Masters yesterday, was "whatever happened to Federico?" A minute's silence was held at all four of the professional venues which staged matches yesterday.
ATP Chairman Etienne de Villiers said, "Losing a young man so tragically in the prime of his life, a son to a loving family and a great sportsman is a terrible blow. Federico was hugely respected by his fellow professionals and was one of the most popular players on the tour. Federico will be much missed by all who knew him and the thoughts and the prayers of everyone at the ATP are with his family on this very sad day for tennis."