Sylvain Bruneau, the coach of Bianca Andreescu, has revealed that he was one of the people that tested positive on the Emirates flight from Abu Dhabi. Reportedly, many top players were on the flight including Andreescu, Marta Kostyuk, Angelique Kerber, Ons Jabeur, Belinda Bencic and others.
“I’m deeply sorry that I have just tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival here in Melbourne,” Bruneau wrote in a statement that was shared by tennis journalist Jon Wertheim.
“I have followed all of the safety protocols and procedures, including testing negative within 72 hours before the flight departure and I felt perfectly fine when I boarded the plane. I also respected and followed all Covid protocols and guidelines while in the middle east. I have no idea how I might have contracted this virus. I am extremely saddened and sorry for the consequences now on everyone’s shoulders sharing my flight. The rest of my team has tested negative and I sincerely hope that any further disruption is kept to a minimum.”
The positive test means that all players on that flight have been deemed a Covid risk and sent to quarantine at their hotel for 14 days without being able to leave their room.
That 14 day period will end on approximately January 29, giving the players about a week to prepare themselves for the Australian Open.
According to a statement by Tennis Australian, it was deemed that all people on the flight must go into mandatory quarantine. There were a total of 24 players on that flight.