German Alexander Zverev said he played with fever and breathing difficulties during his fourth-round French Open defeat to Italian teenager Jannik Sinner on Sunday, raising questions about the COVID-19 protocols at the claycourt Grand Slam, reports Reuters.
Zverev appeared to be in discomfort and was seen coughing on court during the match against Sinner and called for the doctor and trainer. He kept pointing at his throat and later took a pill.
The French tennis federation (FFT), who run the claycourt Grand Slam, told Reuters that Zverev was last tested for COVID-19 on Sept. 29 and the test returned a negative result the following day.
Zverev, 23, was up to date with his testing and was notified to undergo a routine test on Sunday, the day of his fourth round match, the organisers added.
Organisers said Zverev did not consult with the Roland Garros medical service before his match against Sinner.
Zverev said he had been ill since his third-round win against Italian Marco Cecchinato on Friday and had a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.
"It was nothing wrong but I am completely sick after the match with Cecchinato in the night. Yeah, what can I say? I'm completely sick," said a masked Zverev during his virtual post-match news conference.
"I can't really breathe, as you can hear by my voice. I had fever, you know, as well. It was 38. It was 38 in the night or in the evening."
