'Take this super seriously': Bernard Tomic in lockdown over virus fears
Bernard Tomic says he’s placed himself in isolation after showing ‘all the symptoms’ of coronavirus in Miami.
The much-maligned tennis star told the Herald Sun on Monday he’s locked himself away after starting to feel sick last week.
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“I already had shortness of breath and my immune system was low and run down,” he said.
“I’m currently in Miami and isolated away from everyone, as advised.
“I’m yet to be tested for it (COVID-19) but I have all the symptoms.”
The 27-year-old told the Herald he thinks he might have contracted the virus while travelling.
Tomic played in an ATP Challenger Tour event in Mexico earlier this month before travelling to the United States for the Miami Open (which has since been cancelled).
“People need to take this super seriously, especially at home in Australia,” he said.
Tennis joins global sporting shutdown
The ATP suspended its professional men's tennis tour for six weeks last Thursday, citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, which has upended major sporting events across the globe.
The announcement came moments after Miami-Dade County said it would suspend the Miami Open and on the heels of Sunday's last-minute cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California.
The decision was not taken lightly, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement, adding that the suspension represents a great loss for players and fans.
“We believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic,” he said.
Impacted events include the Clay Court Championships in Houston, the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the Hungarian Open.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the coronavirus crisis as a pandemic, meaning it is spreading fast across the globe, as countries scramble to contain the outbreak.
The Women's Tennis Association has since suspended play until May 2.
WTA said on Monday tournaments in Stuttgart, Istanbul and Prague will “not be held as scheduled”.
“We will make a decision in the week ahead regarding the remaining WTA European claycourt events and will continue to monitor this situation closely and its impact on the 2020 WTA Tour season,” said the WTA.
with AAP
