By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 4, 2020

 

Adrian Mannarino was nearly knocked out of the US Open by New York State health department officials, before being permitted to play his US Open third-round match.

Photo credit: Brad Penner/USTA

Complications in Coronavirus protocol put Adrian Mannarino in US Open limbo today.

Mannarino’s third-round match against Alexander Zverev was scheduled to start not before 2:30 p.m., but neither player appeared on court, linespeople and ball kids departed Louis Armstrong Stadium and the match was delayed about two-and-a-half hours.

More: Seven Shut In After Paire Contact

The 32nd-seeded Mannarino spent time in limbo laying on a couch contemplating the "weird situation."

Ultimately, New York State permitted the Frenchman to play. 

Fifth-seeded Zverev defeated Mannarino, who was slowed by a groin injury in the later stages, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.

Afterward, Mannarino, one of seven players who interacted with Benoit Paire, who tested positive for Coronavirus and was withdrawn from the tournament before it began, said he was told New York State health officials had held up the match and considered not permitting him to play because of his exposure to Paire.

“I was trying to get ready warming up with my coach and the tour manager came to talk to me,” Mannarino told the media in a zoom press conference. “He explained to me the situation. Obviously the state department of health took over the city [health department], which actually allowed me to play with a new protocol on Sunday.

"And the state took over this decision to say that I’ve been exposed to a positive case so I should be quarantined in my room and not be able to go on the tennis court and play the match today.

“They told me they were trying to contact some guys to see if this decision could be changed.”

An assist from Zverev, who agreed to push the match to not before 5 p.m. on Louis Armstrong Stadium, apparently gave officials enough time to persuade the New York State Department of Health to permit Mannarino to play.

“Sascha agreed, which is nice and they told me we’re gonna have a look at the situation trying to see if we can get you on court today which obviously they did,” Mannarino said. “I just want to be thankful to all these people trying to get me on court today… and I’m pretty happy about that then I heard actually around 4:30 or 4:40 [I could play.]”

Zverev, who spent the delay munching on lunch in front of his player suite inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, chalked up the situation to "politics, bigger people than us."

"At the end of the day I always looked at the situation that what if I was in the same situation," Zverev said. "I would have wanted my opponent or my fellow players to have an understanding for it.

"It was not his fault. It was not the US Open's fault. It was just the situation. There were politics involved."

The USTA issued this three-sentence statement on the delay: 

"The Zverev-Mannarino match was delayed while a collaborative dialogue with health officials was conducted today. Communication with the players was ongoing during the afternoon to keep them updated at all times. Given the sensitivity of the medical issues involved, the USTA is not able to provide further details."

Seven players who came into contact with Benoit Paire during a card game will be confined to the US Open's bubble within a bubble until September 12th, French publication L'Equipe reports.

Five French players—Grégoire Barrere, Édouard Roger-Vasselin, Kristina Mladenovic, Adrian Mannarino and Richard Gasquet—as well as Belgians Kirsten Flipkens and Ysaline Bonaventure cannot leave New York until September 12th, according to the L'Equipe report.

That September 12th date is 14 days after the players played cards with Paire, who tested positive for Coronavirus. It may well also prevent three of the seven from playing Rome qualifying, which starts September 12th.

Paire was withdrawn from the US Open due to a positive COVID-19 test. But Paire took to his Instagram account to say that he then tested negative on Monday and subsequently suggested on Instagram Live he may have suffered a false-positive test.

The players exposed to Paire were required to sign an agreement to the enhanced protocol, which Mannarino signed on Sunday.

The veteran left-hander said today's initial decision by New York State to keep him off the court took him by surprise because the New York City Department of Health had cleared him to play.

"A huge organization has been done around us to make us allowed to play so I didn’t know that the state could take over this decision," Mannarino said. "I don’t know all the rules and not into that. I’m a tennis player.

"Actually that was a big news to me when it came. I was ready to go on court warming up, sweating focusing on my match and all these things happened. In a certain sense it was a weird situation for me. I didn’t know what to think."

Asked about living in the USTA's "enhanced protocol plan", essentially a bubble within a bubble for those who interacted with Paire, Mladenovic trashed the experience as "a nightmare" and said she felt like "a prisoner."

“We have no freedom of movement, of identity, of nothing," Mladenovic said after her second-round collapse. "I have the impression that we are prisoners, that we are criminals. For the slightest movement, you have to ask permission, while we are tested every day, we have had thirty negative tests!



While Mladenovic expressed anger, Mannarino said he appreciated the efforts made on his behalf.

“I’m not gonna call it a nightmare—that’s for sure,” Mannarino said. “I’ve been allowed to play. I’ve been able to play and they put me in a situation where I could give my best on court so I’m not gonna [complain] on court.”

The 32-year-old Frenchman says he believes he will be quarantined in his hotel room until next Friday when he will be permitted to leave New York. Asked if he considered consulting a lawyer, Mannarino said he doesn't consider it a legal matter.

"In the last few days the tournament made a lot of effort for me to still be able to compete in the tournament so not at anytime I’ve been thinking about consulting a lawyer," Mannarino said. "I'm just kind of happy to be able to play and that’s it."