Early in the second set of his second-round match on Thursday night, a ball bounced just beyond Ons Jabeur’s reach, and he lost the point, throwing his arms up in exasperation.
On any normal day, Jabeur would probably have reached No. 5 seed, the ball in time to return it to the line, but he is playing while sick.
Jabeur, who reached the US Open final last year, was among several players who had to battle some form of illness at this year’s tournament.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem retired in the second set of his second-round match, doubling up at the net with what appeared to be a stomach-related issue. Emil Ruusuvuori withdrew from the tournament before his first round match, citing an unspecified illness. Tennys Sandgren, who failed to advance to the qualifiers, wrote in Xformerly known as Twitter, that he fell ill after returning home from the tournament.
“I got the us open bug,” he said in a separate postadded, “in a way that feels like I’m still at the tournament but at home.”
It’s not just players. ESPN commentator John McEnroe said on Tuesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus after feeling unwell.
It’s not clear if all the players have the same disease, or if their cases are connected, but something is going on around the US Open.
Hubert Hurkacz seemed to struggle in his second-round match on Thursday, when he upset Britain’s Jack Draper. During the match, medical staff came out to treat Hurkacz for what appeared to be a non-physical injury. Around the tennis grounds, sniffles and coughs can be heard, and players drop tissues into their bags.
The spate of illnesses comes as a late-summer wave of coronavirus infections has been reported across the United States, with indications of increased cases in the Northeast and the West.
Illnesses are possible at any tournament, where players are often in close quarters and share facilities. But with players who are not required to be tested for Covid-19, it is difficult to determine the cause of their illnesses.
Health protocols at the US Open have been less strict since 2020, when spectators were not allowed to attend the tournament and when players took to empty courts wearing face masks.
When fans were allowed to return in 2021, they had to show up proof of vaccination against the coronavirus. That need is from then come downand those attending this year’s US Open will not be required to show proof of vaccination, provide a negative coronavirus test or wear masks.
After willing his way – almost – to a win in the first round, Jabeur said he had the flu. In her second-round match, she again struggled, coughing on the court several times, including during her interview after defeating unseeded Czech player Linda Noskova in three sets.
Jabeur later said at a news conference Thursday that he had been ill for about a week.
“I’m on a lot of medication,” he said, adding that he “really took every medication” the doctors had at the US Open.
Jabeur said his stomach is “fine,” but noted that he knows other players struggle with stomach issues. He seemed to be in doubt whether he had the flu or something else.
“I think I got the flu or something,” he said Thursday night.
It is unclear whether Jabeur, who will play in his third-round match on Saturday against No. 31 seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, took a coronavirus test to rule out the possibility of infection.
“I’m a zombie because I have the flu,” he said.
