Many from the tennis world, conspicuously led by loud American voices, hammered Novak Djokovic for insufficiently considering the COVID-19 pandemic and taking inadequate precautions when organising the recent Adria Tour.
Some players, including Djokovic, tested positive for the virus, meaning that lessons would be learned the hard way - or so we assumed.
The All-American Team Cup, an exhibition tournament, was scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring the first matches in front of a US crowd since the pandemic had shut down the pro tours. The 8 man event had been thrown in doubt due to a dramatically worsening COVID climate in the USA, but it proceeded anyway.
Frances Tiafoe, tested after playing Sam Querrey, was found to be COVID-19 positive, subsequently is in quarantine and out of the event.
Frances had been tested negative just before the event where he had been training for two months - in Florida, a COVID hotbed, so no great surprise that he could have ultimately picked it up.
Oh well, nice try, tournament over of course.
But no, the dimwitted organisers, led by Eddie Gonzalez (Event Director) just throw in a substitute, and the event continues. All the protocols are in place and safety concerns are covered - that’s the message. Well, if I was Sam Querrey, having been on court with a virus infected Tiafoe, I’d be out of Atlanta in a flash.
And similarly any other person associated with the tournament - go home, have a test.
An 8 man meaningless exhibition event, placing so many people at health risk, is badly timed, dumb, selfish and hypocritical, and sends the credibility of staging the US Open next month further down the gurgler.
Adria Tour was lesson #1, All-American Cup is lesson #2, but the students aren’t listening.
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