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Andreescu’s Coach Among Positive Covid-19 Tests Ahead of Australian Open
The coach of Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu says he has tested positive for Covid-19.
Sylvain Bruneau had the positive test after arriving in Melbourne on a charter flight from Abu Dhabi.
He confirmed that he followed all safety protocols and procedures, felt fine when he boarded the plane and tested negative 72 hours ahead of departure.
Andreescu’s French-based agent released a statement from Bruneau confirming that the player and the rest of her team tested negative.
Bruneau says he has “no idea” how he contracted the virus and is “extremely saddened and sorry for the consequences on everyone’s shoulders” after sharing the flight.
Andreescu is set to end a 15-month competitive break from the game by playing the Melbourne Summer Series, a warmup event ahead of the Australian Open next month.
Three other coronavirus cases were detected on Saturday among charter flights carrying tennis players, coaches and officials to Melbourne.
Forty-seven players from two flights in from Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles are now in a 14-day quarantine where they cannot leave their hotel rooms, even to practice.
Two of the positive tests were from the Los Angeles flight with the third positive case coming from the flight from Abu Dhabi. None of the positive tests were from players.
Authorities earlier said that all passengers from the Los Angeles flight would go into the 14-day hotel quarantine. “An aircrew member and Australian Open participant who is not a player have been transferred to a health hotel following positive test results for coronavirus [Covid-19],” Victoria state’s health department said in a statement. “The aircrew member and the passenger have been interviewed and transferred to a health hotel as per normal processes for positive cases.
“All remaining 66 passengers on the flight have been determined to be close contacts. Any players and support people will not be able to leave quarantine to attend training. The remaining flight crew all tested negative and were permitted to fly out without passengers directly to their home port.”
The Australian Open is due to start on February 8.
/Stewart Sports news editor
