A trip to the St.
Peterburg Open turned into an unpleasant story for American tennis player Sam Querrey.
For the fact that he voluntarily left Russia after receiving a positive test for coronavirus, he could face a serious fine and even a three-year disqualification.
The tournament, which belongs to the ATP 500 category and traditionally attracts a strong lineup, was not without a scandal related to COVID-19.
Just before the start, it became known that one of the tennis players tested positive for coronavirus upon arrival in St. Petersburg and was forced to withdraw.
His name was not disclosed, but Querry was excluded from the main draw, in connection with which many assumed that it was an American in question.
In the first round, he was supposed to meet with the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, but Serb Viktor Troitski came on the court instead.
Given the current realities, the situation was not unusual.
Earlier, for the same reason, Belgian David Goffin was removed from the tournament.
However, the day before it became known that Querry left the country with his family, despite the fact that he needed to be in a 14-day quarantine.
He arrived in St. Petersburg with his wife Abby and eight-month-old son Ford, whose tests also showed a positive result.
According to renowned columnist Ben Rothenberg, the American was contacted by local health officials and told that a doctor would visit them at the hotel.
If symptoms of the disease were found, they could be sent to the hospital.
“Querries had what they thought were mild symptoms and were afraid that one or all of them would be hospitalized, especially considering that they had arrived with their eight-month-old son.
They did not want to be separated from him in a foreign country, ”said Rotenberg.
The three Querreys were instructed to quarantine for 14 days at their hotel in St.
Petersburg.
As the St.
Petersburg Four Seasons is famous across the tour for being fancy as all heck, this was something the Querrey family was purportedly very ready to obligingly do.
But then, pic.twitter.com/1qOkfzXALV
- Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
Then the athlete hired a private jet to fly the family.
However, they did not return to their homeland, but flew to some "nearby country", crossing the border with which does not require a negative test result for coronavirus.
Querry has entered several upcoming European tournaments, including the Masters in Paris.
Therefore, it is assumed that he will continue to be on the continent, although he does not intend to report his location.
Interestingly, after rumors of an "escape" arose, Querrey closed his Instagram page.
At the same time, according to the Argentine publication BATennis, Querry left Europe and went to Canada.
The information that the athlete left Russia without waiting for the doctor's visit was confirmed by the executive director of St.
Peterburg Open Natalia Kamelson.
She expressed the hope that the current situation will serve as a lesson for everyone.
“According to the regulations of Rospotrebnadzor, Querry was isolated.
In order for us to understand that he is feeling well, a visit to the doctor is recommended.
Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to visit the family on either the 12th or 13th.
They simply did not open the doors for us.
On the 14th we received the news that Sam had left the territory of Russia, ”Kamelson said on Match TV.
The Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) called the incident a serious violation.
“Adherence to health and safety protocols is critical to ensure that events are conducted safely and in accordance with local authority requirements.
Players and their team members are reminded that violation of the regulations may jeopardize the conduct of the competition and have a negative impact on the entire tour.
In accordance with the ATP Code of Conduct, we take this issue extremely seriously and are currently conducting an investigation, ”the organization said in a statement.
It is not yet known whether Querry will be punished, but it is assumed that he could face a fine of up to $ 100 thousand and / or a three-year suspension.
Some of the American's colleagues also reacted to the incident.
So, his compatriot Tennis Sandgren, with whom he was supposed to perform in St. Petersburg in doubles, called his actions "a damn good step."
The former coach of Maria Sharapova, Michael Joyce, did not condemn him either.
He noted that he would have done the same.
And the six-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments in doubles, Renee Stubbs, suggested that now the path to Russia was closed to him.
“We can say with confidence that Querry will never return to Russia.
And I think he does not care, "- wrote Stubbs on Twitter.
At the same time, not everyone agrees that the tennis player behaved correctly.
Honored Coach of Russia Vladimir Kamelzon said that the tournament organizers did everything possible to ensure the safety of the participants, and Sam behaved irresponsibly and broke the rules.
“It's good that Querrey hasn't infected anyone.
It is not clear where he got sick himself.
We gave him the best hotel room for a family, created all the conditions so that a person could get medical treatment.
I attribute such feats to the lack of brains due to the Internet, phones.
You need to understand everything with your head, heart and brains.
Querrey did not let the doctors show himself.
You also need to be responsible for the people around you, "- quotes the words of Kamelzon" Championship ".
Querrey is the tenth ATP player in the top 100 to be infected with COVID-19.
Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric, Francis Tiafoe, Kei Nishikori, Benoit Per, Fernando Verdasco, David Goffin, as well as Fabio Fognini, who had to withdraw from the tournament in Cagliari, taking place these days, had previously suffered from the disease.
At the same time, not a single case has been recorded in the women's top 100 at the moment.