“Rules Can’t Change Week to Week”: Tennis Star Slams Officials for Contrasting Coronavirus Rules

American tennis player, Noah Rubin has slammed the tennis authorities for the confusion around rules regarding quarantine. Earlier this week, another major controversy hit the COVID-19 era tennis world. Benoit Paire revealed he was allowed to play the ATP Hamburg Open despite testing positive for the coronavirus.

Rubin took a sarcastic dig at the tennis authorities on Twitter. He suggested that they still did not know how to deal with the situation.

Rubin followed this up with another tweet that said, “They aren’t doing the best they can. Rules can’t change week to week. Player testing positive twice allowed to play that week and week after?”

The reason Noah Rubin slammed the tennis officials

At the Hamburg Open, Benoit Paire retired midway through his first-round match against Casper Ruud. He then made a big revelation where he admitted that the organizers allowed him to play despite returning two positive tests for coronavirus. “The rule is different here in Germany and I say thank you to the doctor and to the tournament, they let me play,” Paire said after his match.

On the other hand, at the French Open 2020, Bosnian player Damir Dzumhur was removed from the draw after his coach tested positive. Paire seems to have alluded to this in his statement when he said, “The only test negative is yesterday but 2 in a row I was positive. The rule here is different so the ATP has to explain to me what the rule is. In Paris some are negative. But because the coach is positive they can’t play. Here in Germany you are positive and can play.”

Controversy at French Open 2020

The French Open also saw five players withdraw from the event. Two of those players and a coach tested positive. The rules suggest that even contact with an infected person results in withdrawal, irrespective of test results.