
Now that tennis has come back with the Women’s Tennis Association’s Palermo Tournament on Monday, all the promises to take care of players and ensure their safety are being put to the test.
Unsurprisingly, there have already been mishaps. An anonymous player tested positive for COVID-19 and had to leave, players are living in the same spaces as the general public, and the importance of isolation is being swept under the rug.
French singles pro Richard Gasquet has been incredibly vocal on these mountainous faults: “It is an absolute scandal that players are in the same hotel as tourists in Palermo. I don’t know how the WTA can accept it.”
By failing to reserve a “bubble” that was promised for players, the problems that were supposed to be avoided are merely welcomed: instead of having an audience watch stars from afar, they can be staying right next door and breathing the same air.
Also, by not having punishments in place to ensure players are abiding by health guidelines, they can collect plenty of germs off the court.
Donna Vekić, a Palermo participant who won against Dutch pro Arantxa Rus on Monday, was honest about what is happening behind the scenes: “I don’t want to pretend that I’m locked in the room the whole day when I’m not. I hope in New York there will actually be fines and if everyone respects that and it makes sense, then I’m all for it.”
Especially when irresponsibility will directly affect the ability to keep this revival moving, these reports are concerning and once again show that people are not taking this pandemic seriously enough. Tennis players have already tested positive in attempts to return to sports, yet the mingling continues.
What will spark the minds of the tennis world to see the danger? How many more people need to fall ill and be taken out of the game to get someone to stay in the hotel? The answers will certainly be revealed in the coming weeks.
