Australian Open: Tennys Sandgren’s positive test serves up a tricky call
Health officials cleared US tennis player Tennys Sandgren to travel to Melbourne just three days after he tested positive.
Victorian health officials cleared tennis player Tennys Sandgren to travel to Melbourne on Thursday just three days after the American tested positive for the coronavirus, but Britain’s Andy Murray is unlikely to play in the Australian Open after testing positive to COVID-19.
A year after Sandgren came within a point of one of the great Open upsets against Roger Federer, the American has sparked an even bigger storm for this year’s delayed tournament.
The dual Australian Open quarter-finalist revealed he had tested positive to coronavirus but was declared fit to fly to Victoria.
The revelation inflamed an already fraught situation, given concerns that more than 1200 players and officials are travelling to Australia in the midst of a global pandemic from COVID-19 hotspots.
Wow I’m on the plane
— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) January 14, 2021
Maybe I just held my breath too long..
Craig Tiley is a wizard
Sandgren, who praised Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley as “a wizard”, subsequently revealed he had first tested positive to the virus at the Thanksgiving weekend in November.
Victorian health authorities deemed the positive result prior to his departure from Los Angeles a hangover from the previous infection. They found Sandgren was no threat of passing the virus on because despite the positive PCR test result, the American was no longer considered infectious.
“Every person arriving from overseas to participate in the Australian Open is required to take a coronavirus test 72 hours before departing,” a COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria spokesman said.
“For people who have previously tested positive and have since recovered, it is common to shed viral fragments for some time — which can trigger another positive result.
“Any person who returns a positive test result has their medical and case history reviewed by a team of public health experts. Only those who are determined to be recovered and no longer infectious will be allowed to travel to Australia.”
The CQV spokesman said Sandgren’s positive result had been reviewed “as per standard processes (and) it was determined that the evidence in his case suggested he had recovered from a previous COVID-19 infection and is still shedding viral particles.
“He was cleared to travel to Australia on 14 January, 2021.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said: “This event is very important to our city and our state, and it is worth going to these unprecedented measures to be sure it goes ahead.”
Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville also said Sandgren’s positive result was reviewed by health experts and determined to be viral shedding from a previous infection.
“No one who is COVID-positive for the first time — or could still be infectious — will be allowed in for the Open,” she said.
Murray, a three-time Australian Open finalist, was due to be on one of Thursday’s charter flights but was quarantining at home.
Tennis Australia said Victorian government public health experts assessed the medical records of each arrival to Australia to ensure they were not infectious before flying. “Players and their teams are tested every day from their arrival, which is a much stricter process than for anyone else in hotel quarantine,” a TA statement read.
John Millman, a member of the ATP Tour Player Council, said he could understand community concerns given lockdowns that various states experienced during spikes of the virus in Australia.
“Tennis Australia and the Australian Open have faced many hurdles throughout this process,” he said. “It is a tough one because you want to put the minds of people in the community at ease. But it is really important to get the right information out there about the risks and non-risks.”
The Davis Cup star expressed sympathy for the situation Sandgren found himself in. He cited the example of Frenchman Benoit Paire, who recorded positive COVID-19 tests for months after being infected when he arrived to play tournaments, to illustrate the complexity facing officials.
“I don’t think Tennys should be pulled from the tournament … There is a certain window where you can pass it on, but it can lie dormant in your body for a time.”
We are ready for that. https://t.co/lMBd6ibuQ7
— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) January 13, 2021
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