Angry Verdasco threatening legal action against Roland-Garros after ‘positive’ COVID test

World No. 59 Fernando Verdasco has confirmed in L’Equipe that he intends to take legal action against the French Open after missing the tournament due to a positive COVID 19 test that could have been wrong.

Confirmed positive on September 26. The left-hander was forced to pull out of Roland-Garros after testing positive shortly before the event began. Verdasco later complained that he had not been allowed a second test

Fraser Masefield

September 30, 2020

Fernando Verdasco had previously returned a positive result without showing any symptoms in August but subsequently returned negative results after his Paris test.

“We want to send an official letter to Roland-Garros and to the French Federation, in my name but also that of the Spanish federation, which will also send a letter to the FFT,” Verdasco is quoted in L’Equipe. “And we will ask for compensation for the damage it cost me not to participate in this tournament, due to mismanagement, Roland-Garros, the Federation, the French government.”

Despite returning two subsequent negative results after his Roland-Garros test, the 36-year-old Fernando Verdasco said he was denied the opportunity of another test to find out if the initial one had returned a ‘false positive’.

💔 pic.twitter.com/dohQDz3gAy

— Fernando Verdasco (@FerVerdasco) September 25, 2020

“It is not logical and totally inconsistent. And I think it’s a lack of respect for all the players. All the doctors say this is not a 100% reliable test,” added Verdasco.

“The only one who tried to reach me was Guy Forget, but I was so angry that all of my tests were negative that I told my wife I didn’t want to see or hear about tennis, with nobody. I was so sad. It’s a very tough situation for me, mentally, psychologically.

“I stayed at home to recover well, train well and prepare for Roland-Garros. And… find myself ejected because of a test which I have shown was not good and that I was negative, negative, negative! How do you want me to feel? Of course this is the hardest moment of my career.”

Verdasco: “I’m very angry, very frustrated and all I want is justice”

Verdasco, previously a World No.7, has reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros on seven occasions and regards it as one of his favourite tournaments. That may well have changed after recent events, however.

“Right now I’m very angry, very frustrated and all I want is justice for the damage I have suffered, me and other players as well. It does not happen, on a professional level, on a personal level, on a psychological level. We are waiting for them to admit their mistake and to recognize that we cannot treat players that way.

“I played a lot of tournaments in France during all these years; Roland-Garros is one of my favourite tournaments, I always play there very well, I made a lot of round of 16 (7), losing against Nadal, Djokovic … That I am treated with so little respect, that affected me a lot.”