On his return to activity after 191 days without playing, Diego Schwartzman appeared at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 with a solid 7-6 (2), 6-3 win. on the Norwegian Casper Ruud, in one of the matches for the first round of this contest that this time is played in New York, in the “bubble” created to play the US Open at the Billie Jean King complex.
After the match, Schwartzman showed his anger at how the situation was handled that led to the exclusion of his compatriot Guido Pella. The Peque remained as the only Argentine representative in singles because the left-hander from Bahia was marginalized after Juan Manuel Galván, his physical trainer, tested positive for coronavirus, despite the fact that the four tests carried out on Pella were negative. Due to the same situation, the Bolivian Hugo Dellien was also excluded, whose PF is ‘Titan’ Galván.
“What happened with Pella I took it very badly. I’m not going to be a hypocrite, it must be said. 95 percent, or almost 100 percent of players took it very badly. We have had a lot of private talks with the people who organized the protocols, with people from the USTA (the American tennis federation), and they lied to our faces, “Schwartzman said in the press conference after his victory.
The victory summary
“They said there would be no retaliation for anyone who tested positive. We already know that it is not easy at all, that the entire tournament itself is put at risk, and of course it could have been me or anyone, as it was. Guido. The mistake here is that Pella, Dellien and José (Acasuso, Pella’s coach) tested negative for the fourth time and Titan (Galván) did not test it again after testing positive, “said the world number 13.
“There are many people who tested false positive. We talked about it with people from ATP and they agree with what I am saying, but this is a decision of the USTA or the Department of Health and they do not want to test it again, it is something that I cannot understand. The situation they are going through after testing negative for the fourth time is very unfair. It seems to me that it was mishandled, “added the Buenos Aires tennis player.
Despite not having tested positive, Pella has to comply with a 14-day quarantine, which severely compromises his chances of participating in the US Open that will begin on the 31st of this month. “They would only be free next Sunday, and maybe they have to play five sets later. The reality is that there are many parts at stake. We talk to people from the ATP, but they don’t have much power over what to do either. Decisions had to be made on the spot and they had to be there, “said Schwartzman.
On the second wheel, Peque will face a risky duel against American Reilly Opelka, a giant of 2.11 meters. The history between the two is 1-1: the Argentine won the 2017 Canadian Masters 1000, and the North American did it last year in Miami, in a duel with some controversy. Schwartzman recalled what happened and commented: “It was a match situation, I have a good relationship with him outside the court, they are things that happen during a match and everything is cleared up.” Faced with an opponent with a heavy serve and used to playing short points, the Argentine said: “I expect an uncomfortable match. Playing against this kind of players is a shit, ha. After five months I won’t be able to play much from the bottom, I have I have to see if I save some serves to win the game, I expect some mistakes from him, but he has also improved a lot from the bottom, he is doing things better. Now, you have to enjoy being back in the ring. “
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