'Outraged' Fernando Verdasco says he could sue Roland Garros after withdrawal

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Updated 29/09/2020 at 17:28 GMT

Fernando Verdasco has expressed his 'outrage' after he was not allowed to play at Roland Garros. The 36-year-old was withdrawn from the tournament after a positive Covid-19 test. He said he had returned a negative result on several occasions before he arrived in Paris, and was also negative in another test done after the positive result.

Fernando Verdasco has said he could sue Roland Garros for the “personal and professional damage” he has suffered after being withdrawn from the tournament.

The 36-year-old pulled out of the final Grand Slam of the year after a positive Covid-19 test. He said he had returned a negative result on several occasions before he arrived in Paris, and was also negative in another test done after the positive result.

But he was not able to enter the tournament and has expressed his “outrage” at how the situation was handled.

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"If I want to sue Roland Garros? Yes, obviously,” he told Cadena SER.

“No one can believe that a tournament like Roland Garros can do that. It can't be. It is no longer a thing of money, it is a thing of damage that does you personally and professionally.

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"I don't know if I'm going to play again this year or not because you lose the desire for everything. They do things as they please, without any coherence and without any respect. The rights of the players are worth nothing.

"Imagine my outrage, it's incredible, it's disrespectful for a player who has been playing Roland Garros for 16 years. And the next day they change the rule and they can take the second test. When I'm already out of the draw; last straw."

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