US Open organizers announced Sunday, August 30, that a player had tested positive for Covid-19 the day before the tournament began. The tennis player, who is “Asymptomatic”, cannot take part in the competition and must remain isolated during “At least ten days”, precise the press release posted on the US Open Twitter account.
The text does not specify the identity of the player concerned, but it is, according to the newspaper The team, of Frenchman Benoît Paire, current 22e world player in the ATP ranking and seeded No. 17 in the tournament. The player, who was due to face Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in the first round on Tuesday, has not commented on the subject yet. The daily specifies that the French had “Undergone numerous checks, all negative so far”, since arriving in New York on August 18.
The name of the French tennis player has already disappeared from the tournament table, where the organizers replaced him with the Spaniard Marcel Granollers, who will face the Polish Kamil Majchrzak in his place on Tuesday 1er September.
Several French players confined to the hotel
This news could further disrupt the holding of the US Open as checks are underway to trace the player’s contacts over the past few days to determine if other participants need to be quarantined, as has been done. specified the organization in its press release.
Four other French players were confined to their hotel room in New York City pending a return from health authorities, according to The team. They are Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Grégoire Barrere and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, to which is added the coach Nicolas Copin.
The American Tennis Federation (USTA) managed to keep the US Open this year despite the coronavirus pandemic, but at the cost of drastic health constraints that have caused some of the best players to give up, like Rafael Nadal (2e world player for men) and Gaël Monfils (2e), as well as Ashleigh Barty (world number 1 in the women’s ranking) or Simona Halep (2e).
Two players, Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien, had been quarantined last week as part of the Cincinnati tournament for having rubbed shoulders with a member of their staff tested positive. The control was subsequently found to be negative.
