Greek ATP Cup player tests positive for COVID after leaving Australia

After a tennis player tested positive for COVID-19 leaving Melbourne, a second player has now come forward to confirm another case.

A second tennis player has tested positive for COVID-19 after a Greek player’s confirmed case sent a shudder through the Australian Open

World No. 463 Michail Pervolarakis, who played at the ATP Cup before the Australian Open began, announced on Saturday night he tested positive for the virus after arriving in South Africa.

He posted in his Instagram stories that he had tested positive for the coronavirus after leaving Australia. He then moved to clarify he most likely contracted the virus while travelling to Johannesburg via Doha, a medical official in Johannesburg told him.

His contact with the Melbourne community and players inside the Australian Open remains uncertain, but health authorities have been confident enough for the event to progress on Sunday.

It leaves the Australian Open breathing a sigh of relief, but the ATP Challenger Series event in Potchefstroom, near Johannesburg, is now a basket case.

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It was revealed Sunday morning a second player has tested positive at the event with Roberto Cid Subervi announcing he was withdrawing from competition and going into isolation.

“Hi everyone. Unfortunately my COVID test returned a positive result and I have had to withdraw form all events,” the world No. 223 posted on Instagram.

“The important thing is that I feel well and am asymptomatic.

“I will do the required isolation until I can go home and recover.

“Thank you for the messages, I will come back stronger.”

The Herald Sun first reported that Pervolarakis flew out of Melbourne Airport on February 9, the same day a worker at the Brunetti cafe in Terminal 4 of the airport worked while infected.

It was earlier reported Pervolarakis was tested in Melbourne on Monday and received a negative test on Tuesday February 9, which was confirmed by Tennis Australia.

But upon arriving in South Africa, he tested positive.

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas was in close quarters with Michail Pervolarakis.

Michail Pervolarakis clarified his positive test on Instagram.

It was earlier reported the positive result was a potential nightmare for the Open as a result of the virus’ incubation time of up to 14 days.

However, Pervolarakis’ latest Instagram post had officials and players breathing much easier as the event headed into Day 7 at Melbourne Park.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley told Channel 9 on Sunday morning the action would go ahead as planned behind closed doors without fans.

“The good news is that he tested negative and then left before he tested positive. There was a fair bit of travel time and he was travelling to two of the hotspots in the world and the chance to become infected is fairly high in those places.”

He said the event continues to listen to the advice of Victorian Department of Health experts.

“So there’s a lot of science and I’m not going to be a medical expert on this but there’s a lot of science around the timing of when you test negative and that will be looked at by the health authority,” he said.

Pervolarakis’ original announcement that he had tested positive sent a shockwave through the Australian Open.

Michail Pervolarakis at the ATP Cup.

“After a 24-plus hour travel day from Australia to South Africa I’ve been diagnosed positive to COVID-19,” Pervolarakis posted.

“I am completely asymptomatic at the moment and will have to quarantine in an isolation facility in Potchefstroom.

“I am not a person that complains, but I feel that I need to express my disappointment with the conditions we are in.

“We are in a tiny room with no TV or AC (it is around 30 degrees Celcius). We have a shared kitchen (just for hot water) and a shared bathroom and showers. On top of it, we have been informed that we need to pay around 140 euro a day for accommodation, food and medical care (checking blood pressure and temperature). I feel that the conditions we are in are unacceptable and the governing authorities should do something about that.”

Pervolarakis’ first message.

Pervolarakis’ second message.

He then shared a video showing his tiny living quarters.

But the last post on his Instagram post is also a picture with World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, his teammate at the ATP Cup.

Petros Tsitsipas and Markos Kalovelonis were the other teammates while Tsitsipas’ father, Apostolos, was Greece’s team captain.

Pervolarakis lost both his singles games at the ATP Cup.

The Brunetti Cafe is a Tier 1 exposure site with the exposure time listed as 4.45am to 1.15pm on February 9, with fears that many other people would have been exposed to the virus at the airport before flights.

It was reported that 11 of the 12 staff at the Brunetti cafe had returned negative tests.