WTA star makes remarkable Covid claim as withdrawals hit Wimbledon draw

After watching two high profile withdrawals at Wimbledon, Alize Cornet has made the remarkable claim that players had a ‘tacit agreement’ at the French Open to hide suspected Covid cases.

The Wimbledon draw has been hit hard, with both Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini forced to withdraw after returning positive Covid tests.

Both players were seen as genuine contenders to at least go deep in the tournament, with Berrettini very fancied to win it.

Alize Cornet, though, has claimed there was a veritable Covid outbreak at the French Open just a few weeks ago, and the players took it upon themselves to cover it up.

“At Roland Garros, there was a COVID-19 epidemic, no one talked about it,” Cornet told L’Equipe. “In the locker room, everyone got it and we said nothing…

“When we see that [Barbora] Krejcikova withdrew saying she had Covid, and that the whole locker room is sick… At some point… We all might have had the flu.

“The thing is, we had the three symptoms, [like an] itchy throat, we played and everything was fine, it’s fine.

“At Roland Garros, yes, I think there have been a few cases and it was a tacit agreement between us.

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“We are not going to self-test to get into trouble Afterwards, I saw girls wearing masks, maybe because they knew [they might have it] and didn’t want to pass on. You also have to have a civic spirit.”

Wimbledon have not been as strict as other tournaments due to the comparatively relaxed Covid rules in the UK.

However, they have said they will continue to review their Covid protocols as the tournament progresses.

“As a major event we have and continue to work in conjunction with the UK Public Health Security Agency and our local authority,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“We have maintained enhanced cleaning and hand sanitising operations, and offer full medical support for anyone feeling unwell.

“We are following UK guidance around assessment and isolation of any potential infectious disease. Our player medical team also continue to wear face masks for any consultation.”