But then time passed and there was no sign of the players on the court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York’s borough of Queens.
Mannarino – who had previously been in contact with another player who tested positive for coronavirus – said he was told while he was warming up that the New York State Department of Health had said he would not be allowed to. playing on Friday and that he should be quarantined in his hotel room and not be able to go to a tennis court.
Eventually, Friday’s game was delayed by a couple of hours and Mannarino said he found out around 4:30 pm that he would be allowed to play. The match began after 5pm, with Mannarino losing in four sets to Zverev.
Zverev told ESPN after his win: “I was told there was very little chance that we would play.”
It is not clear why Mannarino was initially not allowed to take the field despite having already played earlier this week. CNN reached out to the New York State Department of Health and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office for comment.
Mannarino told reporters that he was grateful to those who helped him play his game on Friday.
“Unfortunately I lost the game, but I am still happy to have been on the pitch,” Mannarino said.
A US Open statement on Friday said: “The Zverev-Mannarino match was delayed while a collaborative dialogue with health officials was conducted today. Communication with players was ongoing in the afternoon to keep them up to date. Given the sensitivity. of the medical issues involved, the (US Tennis Association) is unable to provide further details. “
Zverev said after the game: “I guess New York state called and said he shouldn’t have played. He was going back and forth, back and forth. It was political. It wasn’t us players. We were just sitting.”
In an interview with reporters, Novak Djokovic assessed the issue saying he was not happy with how the situation was handled and communicated to the players.
“I hope this can be improved. I hope this is just this year and this tournament only, but it doesn’t look like that,” adding that players may face similar circumstances in the future.
The player tests positive for Covid-19
US Open officials revealed Sunday that an unnamed player had tested positive for the coronavirus. US Open spokesman Chris Widmaier told CNN in an email earlier this week that the player could not be named due to US health laws, but has been identified as Frenchman Benoit Paire, since French sports newspaper L’Equipe. He has since been widely identified in other news outlets, by other players and on social media.
CNN contacted a Paire representative but did not respond.
Mannarino and others had been in contact with Paire, but Mannarino said on Sunday he found he was eligible to participate in the tournament, one of four tennis Grand Slam events.
All players in his situation signed documentation accepting the protocols, including not being in contact with other players, he said. Mannarino defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego on Monday in the first round and then beat American Jack Sock in the second round on Wednesday.
Mannarino said he didn’t consider getting a lawyer. On Friday, Mannarino said other players, including Paire, were still isolated in a hotel. Mannarino said he cannot leave New York “until next Friday” due to the situation.
Paire’s name was later removed from the official draw before the tournament began and replaced by a replacement. Paire took to Instagram on Monday night to say she was “fine for now” and had no symptoms.
“I hesitate to say what is really happening in the fake bubble,” he added.
When asked why Mannarino was allowed to gamble despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health stated that those who come in contact with infected people should be quarantined Widmaier told CNN earlier this week that “advanced protocols were in place.”
“Together with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the USTA has developed an advanced protocol plan for those players who may have potentially been exposed to the infected player,” he said. “As part of these advanced protocols, potentially exposed players will now be tested on a daily basis instead of every four days.”
.
