“I'll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone”
French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for Covid-19 on her arrival in Australia for next month’s Grand Slam in Melbourne, the Russian tennis star said on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, I have some bad news. I arrived in Australia on Tuesday and tested positive for Covid-19,” Pavlyuchenkova wrote on Twitter.
“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media Thursday. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now, I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors.
“Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I'll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”
The 30-year-old reached her career-high ranking last month after a stellar 2021 season in which she reached her maiden major final, won the Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles gold and led Russia to the Billie Jean King Cup title in Prague.
Pavlyuchenkova, whose best result at Melbourne Park is reaching the quarterfinals in 2017, 2019 and 2020, is still searching for her first major singles title.
The opening event of the women’s season is the WTA 500 in Adelaide, starting on Sunday.
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley warned last week there would be positive cases and that prediction has come to fruition in large numbers.
Rafael Nadal, Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Ons Jabeur and Belinda Bencic caught the virus after playing in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, while Emma Raducanu didn’t even make it to the event.
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