Damir Dzumhur was caught is an extremely unpleasant situation in Paris. The world no.113 was more than eager to play the qualifications of the French Open but he was withdrawn from the tournament after his coach Petar Popovic, tested positive for Covid-19. Things got extremely complicated for 2 reasons: first, Damir tested negative to the Coronavirus; second, Popovic was positive to Covid-19 earlier at the beginning of July.
The confusion about the French Open and the Coronavirus
Things are completely confusing right now in Paris. It’s not clear how many players were not allowed to take part in the Roland Garros because exposed to the Covid-19. It has been reported that some players such as Ernesto Escobedo, Denis Istomin, Pedja Krstin and Bernabé Zapata just “disappeared.”
Why Dzumhur and his coach are furious
As reported by The Team, Damir’s coach Petar Popovic expressed his disappointment because he contracted the Coronavirus almost 2 and a half months ago. Therefore, he tested positive because he still had the antibodies in his system. He also maintained that he had between 20 and 25 tests over the previous 30 days in the US, Italy, and France and he never had problems. Popovic maintains that his test result is a false positive.
“I’ve had twenty or twenty-five, tests, over the last thirty-five days, between the United States, Italy and even here in Paris, where we have been for six days and where the first test was negative. But since I had the coronavirus two and a half months ago, there are antibodies that can sometimes give wrong results.”
Petar was extremely upset about the fact that he didn’t have the chance to be tested a second time.
“I find it very serious because human error can happen. They didn’t give us a chance to be tested a second time to see if it was negative. I wanted to at least have a second sample taken in my nose, because there are so many false negatives.”
Nadal would have a different treatment
Popovic mentioned that according to his opinion, they have been treated unfairly because Dzumhur was not considered as a top player. Popovic said that tennis legend such as Rafael Nadal would have been treated differently to have the opportunity to receive a second test (obviously, this could not be confirmed).
“We felt so small and weak. I’m sure if it had happened to a bigger player he would have had the opportunity to prove that it’s not a fake. I think if Rafa was in our case, he would be entitled to a second or third test to verify. So we’re really disgusted with what’s happening to us. We leave with a bitter taste.,” he said.
Dzumhur and coach suing the French Federation
Talking with l’Equipe, Popovic confirmed that they are going to sue the French Tennis Federation (FTT) for denying them to have a second test. Popovic is bold that they are going to win the case to comment:
“It’s a scandal and a huge frustration. I’m sure we’re going to win in court. They’re going to pay a lot for this. It makes me crazy.”
The FTT confirmed that they have just followed their protocols and the accredited players accepted them in writing.
Benoit Paire, the French Open and the different Coronavirus protocol in Germany
Something extremely weird happened in Hamburg (Germany). Benoit Paire was allowed to play the local ATP500 even if he tested himself positive for 2 consecutive times before testing negative a third time. The French player was already positive in New York where he had to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open before being put in isolation.
Following his American struggle, Benoit lost a weird match in Rome in his opener. Then Paire went to Germany where he had to withdraw in the first round against Casper Ruud since he was clearly struggling from a physical point of view. It’s not clear if Benoit will be allowed to play the French Open.
Damir Dzumhur in 2020
Ranked no.114, Dzumhur played his last match on the 14th of September when he capitulated to Federico Coria 6-1 6-1 in the qualifications in Rome.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
Currently the world no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 19th of September when he was defeated by Diego Schwartzman 6-2 7-5 in the quarter in Rome.
Presently, this year the Spaniard has a 15-4 win-loss record. Nadal conquered 1 title in Acapulco.
Damir Dzumhur and Rafael Nadal played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Nadal. The last time that they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-1 6-0 in the 2nd round in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) in May 2018.
Damir Dzumhur and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
