Frances Tiafoe diagnosed with coronavirus

Frances Tiafoe (Carine06, Wikimedia Commons)

According to the Associated Press on Saturday, American tennis player Frances Tiafoe of Hyattsville, Maryland has tested positive for coronavirus. Tiafoe, who is currently ranked 81st in the world, after being as high as 29th in February of 2019, was participating in the controversial All-American Team Cup Exhibition Tennis Tournament in Atlanta this past weekend.

Even though there were reports that organizers learned of the major mistakes made from the Adria Tour in Serbia and Croatia, there is no doubt it was a significant error to allow 450 spectators in the complex without face masks being mandatory. Protocols might have been a priority for organizers, but not enough was done to protect all people who participated in the tournament. If spectators were allowed, face masks needed to be required.

The statistics clearly show that the state of Georgia is not the safest place to be. There are currently 80,891 active cases of coronavirus in the state. They have the seventh most active cases in the United States.

Now, there are reports according to the Indian Express that the 2020 U.S. Open is in jeopardy. New York leads all American states in total cases (422, 717), deaths (32, 262), and active cases (267, 969). At this time, the U.S. Open is planning to go on in August and September without spectators.

One should also realize, that there were only eight American men competing in Atlanta this past weekend, and one player got coronavirus. In Serbia and Croatia, there were 14 players who competed last month. Four players, three coaches, and two wives of players got coronavirus. In New York, there will be 128 men’s singles players, 128 women’s singles players, along with additional doubles players, and now wheelchair tennis players competing. Yes, there may be no spectators, but there will be numerous challenges by organizers to keep the entire facility clean (especially the locker rooms and food facilities) during a period of time. International players will also have to travel through an American airport (in most cases Newark), which is not the safest place to be either at this time.