“Hello my name is Benoit Paire and for the 250th time I am positive for Covid !!! Frankly, I can’t get enough of your shit Covid !!! “. In a post on his Twitter account, the French player expressed his annoyance at his current situation. His preparation for the Australian Open (January 17 to 30) is upset, and the 46th in the ATP rankings is not even certain to participate.
This is not the first time that the 32-year-old man from Avignon has tested positive for Covid-19. The case arose last year at the US Open, which resulted in a forced quarantine of several days in New York, and then again a few weeks later at the Hamburg tournament. It is therefore the third time that he has contracted the coronavirus.
Mentally, Paire hasn’t been at its best for several months. ” How I go ? Because of the Covid, I have a runny nose, but because of all these quarantines spent in a room on the other side of the world, I don’t feel very well in my head. Last year was difficult and this year starts off in the same way, ”he continues, before calling on tennis authorities:“ @ATP Tour, how do you defend the players in my case? “
Multiplication of cases
The organizers of the Australian tournament have been very firm and players must adhere to a strict protocol with many tests during their stay. In recent days, cases of players positive for Covid-19 have been increasing: Rafael Nadal, Denis Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev, Belinda Bencic, Emma Raducanu, Ons Jabeur have announced that they have been affected by the virus, while the ATP Cup begins this Saturday in Sidney.
Unvaccinated, Pierre-Hugues Herbert has for his part already declared that he will not go to the Antipodes. Like this Tuesday the Austrian Dominic Thiem, injured in his wrist. Doubt persists concerning Novak Djokovic, even if he is on the list of participants. On the other hand, the world No. 1 who refuses to say whether or not he has been vaccinated against Covid-19 is already forfeited for the ATP Cup from January 1 to 9 in Sydney.
