Frances Tiafoe is the latest tennis player to test positive for COVID-19 and has been forced to withdraw from the…
Tiafoe tests positive for COVID-19
Frances Tiafoe (Credit Image: © Christopher Levy/ZUMA Wire)
Frances Tiafoe is the latest tennis player to test positive for COVID-19 and has been forced to withdraw from the All-American Team Cup exhibition in Atlanta.
Tiafoe competed in the first session of the exhibition competition on Friday, beating Sam Querrey, but said after the match he was feeling dizzy and struggled in the heat.
Probably explains why Tiafoe was struggling so much in the heat as he beat Querrey yesterday: “I haven’t been feeling the best the last couple of days.” pic.twitter.com/u2K1vFbjO8
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 4, 2020
Later, Tiafoe took to social media to confirm he had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, I tested positive late Friday for COVID-19 and have to withdraw from the All-American Team Cup special event in Atlanta this weekend,” Tiafoe said on Twitter.
“Over the past two months, I have been training in Florida and tested negative there as recently as a week ago.
“I am scheduled to have a second test early next week, but have already begun the quarantine protocol as advised by the medical staff here in Atlanta.”
Unfortunately, I tested positive late Friday for Covid-19 and have to withdraw from the All-American Team Cup special event in Atlanta this weekend. Over the past two months, I have been training in Florida and tested negative there as recently as a week ago pic.twitter.com/DeqR3eBxQo
— Frances Tiafoe (@FTiafoe) July 4, 2020
Eddie Gonzalez, the tournament’s director, said Tiafoe had undergone daily temperature tests upon his arrival in Atlanta and had passed each time.
“Following his match, he was showing symptoms and was re-tested and tested positive,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Tiafoe has left the event site and will not participate in the remainder of the event.
“Upon learning this information, we immediately began deep cleaning and sanitising the event site, and enacted protocols in place for contact tracing and alerting individuals who may have been exposed.”
Tiafoe’s positive test is the latest blow to tennis potentially returning to a normal calendar after Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all contracted COVID-19 while playing the Adria Tour in Serbia and Croatia.
Despite Tiafoe testing positive, the All-American Team Cup, which features the eight top-ranked American male players, will continue to go ahead.
The competition is adhering to social distancing protocols, but fans don’t had to wear a mask in the stands.
