By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday June 28, 2020
Less than a week after telling the world he'd be self-isolating, Alexander Zverev is seen out partying.
Photo Source: AP
Alexander Zverev is not taking his “self-isolation” very seriously. Less than a week after he stated that he would be following self-isolation guidelines prescribed by doctors, the German star was out enjoying his summer, dancing and partying at a large gathering at Anjuna Plage, along the French Riviera.
Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who pulled out of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown with an elbow injury a few weeks ago, was also at the scene. It's a different situation for Pouille, who wasn't in self-isolation.
It hasn’t been a great week for tennis in terms of quarantine. Dominic Thiem drew some unwanted attention when he joked about his situation at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown this weekend, saying he was “the most negative guy on tour,” after all the Covid-19 tests he has undergone since the news of the positive tests on the Adria Tour emerged, starting last Sunday.
Thiem’s inclusion in the tournament has been somewhat controversial, but he has been cleared by physicians advising the event and has now tested negative eight times.
He may want to be more careful about his jokes going forward, and Zverev and Pouille, and others like them, might want to stay away from the cameras.
The lack of concern by some of tennis’ top players, especially after news of World No.1 Novak Djokovic’s positive test (along with three other top players and several others connected to them) has caused concern about the ATP Tour’s ability to actually do more than pay lip service to the coronavirus pandemic. The Tour is set to start again in mid-August, and it isn’t clear at this point if the players will do enough to steer clear of the virus as the pandemic rages across the world, and especially in the United States.
The world has now recorded over 10 million conformed coronavirus cases, of which America has the largest share at over 2.5 million.
By promising to go into self-isolation, and heading out to a club, Zverev is not going to score any points in the court of public opinion. Decisions like that that are causing the public to lose faith that the 2020 tennis season can be a success. It’s also difficult to see the players flaunting their social lives at a time when so many people are suffering—a sign of the disconnect between the players on tour and the reality we are living in.