Tennis
US Open participants struck by a mysterious epidemic. What’s going on in the States?
Dominic Thiem / Photo: © Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
The American tournament is in danger of becoming a breeding ground for a dangerous infection.
The US Open unexpectedly became an incredible test for tennis players, not only on the court, but also outside it. Several star players at once publicly complained about serious health problems, and someone even became ill during the match.
For most of them, it turned into a crash.
“I watch the US Open from home”
Third-round games are in full swing at the US Open, but the first signs of impending problems appeared during qualifying. One of the favorites to get into the main draw Tennis Sandgren finished the fight in the second round. On August 30, the athlete admitted that he fell ill the day after returning from the tournament.
I got sick the day I got home. Definitely, a virus is walking around, ”the athlete wrote on social networks.
On the same day, the legendary tennis player John McEnroe, who was going to work as a television expert at the US Open, spoke about health problems.
“Unfortunately, after feeling a little unwell, my COVID test came back positive. I watch the US Open from home and can’t wait to get back to work as soon as possible,” ESPN quoted McEnroe as saying.
“I felt bad during the game”
The disease also affected tennis players from the main draw. Even before the start of the first round, Emil Ruusuvuori refused to go to the match against Andrei Rublev. Finn referred to the disease, but did not disclose the details of the state of health.
The fate of Dominic Thiem looked sadder. The Austrian, who knocked out Alexander Bublik in the first round in brilliant style, was dragging his feet around the court with Ben Shelton two days later. After the first set, the Austrian had to abandon the continuation of the fight. He admitted that before the match he vomited in the toilet, and on the court he became even worse.
Chris Eubanks faced similar problems. The American became ill in the decisive stage of the fourth set of the second round game with Benjamin Bonzi. Chris was losing in sets – 1:2. He was one step away from defeat, but chose to give up the game without resistance in order to escape to the tribune room. He was also very nauseous.
Hubert Hurkacz played to the end of the second round match, but he also looked very bad against the less experienced Jack Draper. The Pole moved uncertainly around the court and quickly lost in three games. He even needed an additional medical examination.
— I felt bad during the game. I hoped that over time I would feel a little better, because I knew that my game was good enough to beat this opponent. But, unfortunately, I didn’t feel good until the very end,” Hurkach said after the match.
“I have to take a lot of medicine”
The epidemic has also affected the women’s network. Ons Jabeur made it to the final of the US Open last year, but this time it will be very difficult for her to repeat this. The athlete complains of the flu from the very first days.
I’ve been sick since Thursday, I think. You have to take a lot of medicine. I do my best. Honestly, they have wonderful doctors here, they help me every day. In general, I took all the medicines that they had, said Zhaber after the second round match.
She had two difficult meetings against less titled athletes. Ons coughed frequently and looked tired. Weak opposition allowed her to get into the third round of the US Open, but there is no certainty that she will win the next match.
It is not yet known for certain what caused most cases of tennis players, but among the priority versions is a new strain of coronavirus, which is now gaining momentum in the United States, as well as an intestinal infection.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
25-year-old Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu (WTA 228) became the champion of the ITF W35 challenging tournament in Bradenton (USA), where she was the first seed.
On the way to the Cup, Bianca lost only one set and passed: Malkia Ngunue (USA), Tatiana Peri (Italy, WTA 350), Ella MacDonald (Great Britain, WTA 527), Li Ma (USA, WTA 342) and Vivian Wolff (USA, WTA 330).
This was Andreescu’s first trophy since her US Open title in 2019. Bianca skipped the first major of the season, the Australian Open 2026, to make a smooth return to the Tour and get into physical shape.
Andreescu, who has had back problems for a long time, sprained her ankle at a tournament in Montreal at the end of July 2025. After the Canadian’s thousandth, Bianca made five appearances and four defeats before the end of 2025.
PHOTOGRAPH. Bianca Andreescu and Vivivan Wolff after the final in Bradenton
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
sports doctor Dmitry Babelyuk He commented on the injury of the Ukrainian tennis player Marty Kostyuk:
“The video shows how the supporting leg bends when the weight is transferred to it. Martha managed to sense the danger and balance her body so that the “galik” was not completely exposed, but this small rotation still caused discomfort.
Anyone familiar with tennis knows how important footwork and especially sudden changes in movement are in tennis. For this reason, ankles are the most common problem tennis players encounter after elbows.
We remember Elina’s season with a brace and then surgery. This is also a common problem in men’s tennis.
The fact that Marta was able to continue playing shows that her injury is not serious, so it is definitely too early to bury this season. It is important now to recover well and be fully prepared for the next Slam.
Predictably, only one ligament was torn. Not a strong enough twist to tear all three, which happens all too often, but a strong enough twist to tear a ligament, forcing you to finish the tournament.
Marta is leaving JSC and will recover to prepare for the next tournament. “The injury is not serious enough to put the season in doubt.”
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Leader in ATP world rankings Carlos Alcaraz He held a press conference after defeating Adam Walton in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open:
– Carlos, congratulations on the successful start of the tournament. How would you evaluate today’s match? Frankly, the second set was tense, but in the end did you get through it without any losses?
– I can say that it was a difficult match for me. In the first set, everything was decided by a break. He made a few mistakes on his first serve. He also played very well, very reliably, and I think he was constantly trying to find a position to attack as much as possible.
In the second set, he started to find more space for aggressive play. In general, I played good tennis, but in one of the games I lost my concentration a little – mostly when I was fighting with myself, and after that everything became more difficult.
But overall I am satisfied. To be honest, I was ready for a serious battle. Although the level it showed was a bit of a surprise to me. I had to pull myself together and be ready for this battle. I’m happy with the first match of the season and the level I was able to show.
– Carlos, congratulations. What are you most pleased with today and what do you think needs to be improved to go far again in the tournament group?
“I think I hit the ball well.” Of course it could have been played better. But I’m glad I did everything I had to do. I acted correctly in terms of behavior and mental attitude on the field. I always had a good attitude, always tried to think positively. I think I did a good job with that and that was one of the main goals of this match.
In terms of tactics and the level of play in general, I understand that there are many aspects that need to be improved for the next round if I want to go further.
– Carlos, for many the quarter-finals are an excellent result, but you have not yet progressed further in this tournament. Do you have an explanation for why you performed less well than others at this Grand Slam?
– Yes, this is a little difficult for me to explain. It’s strange that I haven’t made it past the quarter-finals in Australia yet because I think I’m playing good tennis here. I played very well here for the last two years, but lost to Isner and Djokovic in the quarter-finals. If you are the first or second racket in the world, let’s say these are not the most ordinary opponents at this stage.
This is not an excuse, but I really want to do better than previous years. I have a feeling that this season I might have a chance to go further.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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