During the Wimbledon tournament, players often resort to crushing insinuations. It also happens that stars neglect not only their own health but also the safety of those around them. Let's find out, are the players playing despite the coronavirus?
Alizée Cornet - a woman of clear thinking
The tennis player from Nice first competed at Wimbledon in 2007 and in 2014 she sensationally beat Serena Williams at Church Road. However, the 32-year-old only became known to a wider audience last year when she was the first player from the world of tennis to ask for the support of fellow Chinese hideaway Peng Shuai in the autumn. For that, she received world number 37 and great acclaim.
This week, she will be looked upon more critically by one tennis colleague or another. After winning her first-round match against Yulia Putintseva, she gave French journalists a glimpse of the new, dominant reality of the coronavirus among tennis professionals in the press room catacombs.
Cornet: "We all must have had the flu"
At the French Open in Paris there was a "coronet epidemic" and a "non-disclosure agreement" between the players, said Corneille, according to the well-known sports daily L'Équipe. The ground-court classic a month ago was the first Grand Slam tournament since the pandemic began with no restrictions on players or fans.
"At one point perhaps we were all sick with the flu. There were a few cases in Paris and a silent agreement. We don't self-test so as not to put ourselves at risk. After a while, I saw colleagues wearing masks, perhaps because they knew they had it and didn't want to pass it on. In fact, only top Czech players Barbora Krejčíková and Marie Buzková announced in Paris that they had contracted the virus. Now Korne has pointed out at Wimbledon that the Czechs should have been much more affected.
The former world number 11 does not consider such behavior sane. "We paid the price, we lived in the bubble for a year and a half, we're all vaccinated, we're fine."
According to the WTA Women's Tour, all the top 100 in the world rankings are vaccinated, the only exception being men's superstar Novak Djokovic, who has consequently already missed the Australian Open and instead created a drama about entry and exit. Wimbledon is likely to remain the last Grand Slam tournament for the Serbs in 2022. Restrictions on travel to the US prohibit entry for the unvaccinated.
Berrettini was due to play despite the Crown
There are no more test or mask requirements on the tennis tour. There are no additional measures by the organizers of the All England Club Wimbledon (AELTC) - and there have now only been three official occasions. The joint favorites on grass, Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini failed to play their first-round games. The latter noted in a statement on social media that, despite the improvement, he had another test on match day to ensure the health and safety of his colleagues and everyone involved in the tournament. This is not certified; often managers or agencies of major players write these messages. But the point is that Berrettini has to play - without another test. On Thursday, Roberto Bautista Agut announced via Twitter that he has a coronavirus.
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"It's always easy to create a conflict."
Superstar Rafael Nadal trained with an Italian last week. There are no more rules for close contact. On Tuesday night, the Spaniard said he was feeling healthy. Asked about the testing situation around his colleague, he explained: "It is always easy to create a conflict". The ATP physiotherapist explained to Nadal that a player with symptoms can decide for himself whether to take the test. "If you do it and are in a positive mood, you are out." He left it open how the 22-time Grand Slam winner found the regulations.
Corne's statements, by contrast, could hardly have been clearer. Since then there has been a debate about personal responsibility, selfishness, and solidarity. The problem: compared to cycling, such as the few instances before the Tour de France peak of the year, tennis professionals have never learned to be team athletes. Most were tested early on as great talents with their own coaches, agents, and physiotherapists. In order to rise to the top and then perform there, the focus was and is mostly on them.
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