Now, players infected during the summer could play despite testing positive. Verdasco, disqualified before the modification, cries scandal.
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Novak Djokovic (here after his victory in Rome) and the other “infected” of the summer are the big beneficiaries of the new Covid protocol adopted by Roland-Garros. EPA / Riccardo Antimiani / POOL
Novak Djokovic will be able to sleep more peacefully. As revealed by “L’Équipe” on Monday, Roland-Garros modified its Covid-19 protocol in order to take into account the notion of “prior art”. In other words, the organizer will take into account the presence of antibodies dating from a summer infection, as the world No.1, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric or Benoît Paire have known.
“The modification of the ARS (Regional Health Agency) is to now accept non-contagiousness on the anteriority of the disease if it is documented by a medical file and validated by medical experts, which is favorable for players, wrote the FFT in a statement. Unfortunately, we only received this decision on Friday evening. ” A last particularly meaningful sentence since, just before, Fernando Verdasco, infected during the summer, had been excluded from the tournament for a positive control.
Controlled negative in Rome, Hamburg then in Paris after his positive result, the Madrilenian had already said “indignant”, Friday, by the rigidity of the organizers; who refused to take into account his medical history. Verdasco was therefore deprived of Roland-Garros because of his level of antibodies. Exactly like Damir Dzumhur, trapped by that of his coach Petar Popovic, who promised to attack the tournament. A fight that seems well underway since these two players could have participated according to the new protocol!
“To further strengthen my indignation, I learn that Roland Garros has changed its rules (…), added the Spaniard in a second message on social networks. “And what about me? No action is taken to correct the mistake made and here I am purely and simply excluded from the picture. I have just been told that there is nothing to do. I feel helpless. ” As a reminder, Fernando Verdasco, 36 years old and 59th in the world, was stopped by the coronavirus (in New York) when he had chained 67 participations in Grand Slam tournaments in a row, in the footsteps of record holder Feliciano Lopez (74, current series).
By changing its rules during the tournament, Roland Garros created the conditions for terrible injustice for a few. But he also protected himself from the media tsunami caused by the exclusion of a positive but healthy Novak Djokovic who was not contagious.
