Quebec coach Sylvain Bruneau, who teams up with tennis player Bianca Andreescu, tested positive for COVID-19, despite himself causing a real upheaval in view of the Australian Open.
“I am deeply sorry to inform you that I have just been tested positive for COVID-19 upon my arrival in Melbourne, after traveling from Abu Dhabi,” he said in a statement to the media. I followed all the safety protocols, got a negative test within 72 hours of the flight departure and felt perfectly fine when I got on the plane. ”
Bruneau says he has no idea how he could have contracted the virus, possibly in Abu Dhabi.
“I am very saddened and sorry for the consequences which now weigh on the shoulders of all those who were on my flight,” he added. The rest of my team is negative and I sincerely hope that any further disruption will be kept to a minimum. ”
Deprived of training?
Until proven otherwise, more than 40 players, including Andreescu, may have to observe forced quarantine and be deprived of training over the next two weeks in Melbourne.
More than 20 athletes were on the same flight as Bruneau, including the famous Canadian recognized for her victory at the U.S. Open in 2019.
The German Angelique Kerber and the Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova were also on board this plane, among others.
Another flight that carried about twenty players, from Los Angeles this time, would also have presented two positive cases, that is to say a passenger not being an athlete as well as a member of the crew.
The situation obviously has similar consequences.
“Prompt recovery”
Pointing seventh in the WTA rankings, Andreescu is due to return to competition at the end of January in Melbourne in a preparatory tournament for the Australian Open.
These are also scheduled from February 8.
“Sylvain is feeling good physically and is now in quarantine,” Tennis Canada said on his Twitter account. He will respect the procedures put in place by the organizers of the Australian Open. We wish him a quick recovery.”
18 charter flights
“It’s absurd”, denounced on Twitter the French Alizé Cornet, who arrived in Melbourne by another flight.
“Soon half of the Australian Open players will have to isolate themselves. Weeks and weeks of training and intense work will be wasted for a positive person aboard a three-quarters empty plane, ”she regretted, before deleting her tweet in front of the reactions provoked.
Players had already been moved by the fact that a contingent of around fifty participants, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep, could carry out their 15 days of confinement in Adelaide and no in Melbourne like the rest of the players.
Craig Tiley had brushed aside accusations of favoritism by ensuring that the training conditions would be the same in Adelaide and Melbourne. The tournament management had to enact very strict and very restrictive health rules in order to make the event acceptable to the local authorities.
In particular, the tournament was postponed by three weeks and the qualifications were moved to Dubai (women) and Doha (men), from January 10 to 13, to allow the approximately 1,270 participants to respect a fortnight upon arrival after traveling to board of 18 chartered flights by the Australian federation.
These conditions pushed some to give up, like the American John Isner or the coach of Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya.
American Madison Keys, who tested positive, also withdrew and Briton Andy Murray, five-time finalist of the tournament, is very uncertain after also contracting the disease.
Three cases of COVID-19 on two different flights to Melbourne:
Flight EY8004 (from Abu Dhabi)
On board: Sylvain Bruneau (positive case), Bianca Andreescu (in forced quarantine) and 22 other athletes.
Total of 64 passengers.
Alternate flight from Los Angeles
On board: One passenger (positive case), one crew member (positive case), Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Heather Watson and 20 other players. Total of 66 passengers.
Are notably in Adelaide: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
