French Open: Pavić and Mektić forced to withdraw
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Nikola Mektić (Photo credit: Carine06/CC BY 2.0 license)/Mate Pavić (Photo credit: Dacoucou/CC BY-SA 3.0)
3 June 2021 – The top-seeded Croatian doubles team have been removed from the draw at Roland Garros in Paris.
Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić are no longer in the men’s doubles draw at the French Open and have been replaced. This came after the news that two stars from the same team had tested positive for COVID-19.
Organisers would not reveal the names of the two players.
“A men’s doubles pair were removed from the French Open draw after testing positive for COVID-19, the French tennis federation (FFT) said on Wednesday.
Pavić and Mektić, who are ranked No.1 in the world, were then replaced in the draw, while Feliciano Lopez and Jaume Munar also disappeared from the draw and order of play.
Daily Večernji list spoke to Mektić who confirmed the news that both he and Pavić tested positive for COVID-19.
“We have the usual symptoms, we are a little sick, but not too much so far. Let’s hope it stays that way,” Mektić said.
“In line with the tournament’s public health and safety protocol, the pair have been removed from the draw, which commenced yesterday, and the two players placed in quarantine. They will be replaced by the first team on the alternate list.
“Since the beginning of the tournament, 2,446 tests have been performed on players and their teams. This is the first occurrence in which the tournament organisers must remove players, in accordance with their health protocol.”
The unstoppable Croatians have a 37-4 record since teaming up for the first time at the start of the year. In 2021 they have won the Rome Masters, the Antalya Open, the Murray River Open, the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters.
