'Won't be playing in China': Controversial star trolled after 'irresponsible' virus tweet
Tennys Sandgren is no stranger to controversy, but the US tennis star has once again sparked a Twitter storm after his coronavirus pandemic claim.
Sandgren caused a stir in 2018 after the American tennis player denied holding right-wing activist views and denounced any implied association with those who do after posts of his in the past resurfaced.
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But the tennis star, who imploded in a five-set rollercoaster thriller to Federer at the Australian Open this year, has now caused another stir regarding the coronavirus crisis.
Sandgren reposted a Fox News article with the headline ‘Sources believe coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan lab as part of China's efforts to compete with US’.
He added: “Not that it means much, but if this is indeed true you won’t see me playing in China again.”
The World No.55 was inundated with Tweets slamming him for his “irresponsible” post.
Somebody tell @TennysSandgren that Chinese tennis scene will do fine without his presence
— sylvia (@suckatbreakpts) April 16, 2020
This is fake news bro
— Umesh Shan (@umeshshan2) April 16, 2020
I'm sure the Chinese economy will suffer immensely because of your absence. 🙄😒
— Justin Cartwright (@JayCee1911) April 16, 2020
As a public figure, it’s massively irresponsible to post what hasn’t been scientifically proved yet. Obviously it’s a biased news piece and what’s also obvious is that Chinese people together with the whole world are suffering and fighting the virus. Don’t be a dick
— Wen Yu (@Elwin_Yu) April 16, 2020
Sandgren appeared to respond to the frenzy with a quip of his own claiming he was “bathing in his own mentions.”
bathing in my mentions 😂
— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) April 16, 2020
Sandgren apologises for past social media posts
Back in 2018, former world number one Serena Williams was among people who called for Sandgren to apologise for his remarks, particularly one in which he described a visit to a gay club in 2012 as having “left his eyes bleeding”.
In a long statement on his Twitter account, Sandgren apologised for his past comments and explained why he had appeared to follow politically right-wing profiles.
“Let me emphatically say that I do not hold any alt right views, and I denounce any implied association with that group,” Sandgren wrote.
“I unequivocally believe in the equality of all peoples as made in the image of God.”
Sandgren reveals fallout to Federer loss
Sandgren revealed the sad aftermath of his near-miss against Federer at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Federer stunned the tennis world in a ‘miracle’ quarter-final victory over Sandgren at Melbourne Park, coming back from two-sets-to-one down and saving seven match points.
It would have been the biggest win of the American’s career, but he couldn’t complete the job.
Sandgren has since opened up about how he reacted to the devastating loss, saying he feels like he’s “holding on like on a raft in the middle of the ocean.”
“I don’t take losses particularly well in general, that one being extremely difficult. It’s still a loss and I’m still familiar with the downward emotional spike from a tough loss like that,” he told the ATP website ahead of the New York Open.
“It was just holding on to the important stuff and realising that it’s just one match.”
With Reuters
