Adrian Mannarino says his US Open match was delayed for hours after concerns from health officials

Adrian Mannarino of France was set to play in his third-round US Open match against Alex Zverev of Germany on Friday at 2:30 p.m.But then the time went by, and there was no sign of the players on the court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the New York borough of Queens.Mannarino — who previously had been in contact with another player that had tested positive for coronavirus — said he was told as he was warming up that the New York State Department of Health had said that he would not be allowed to play Friday and that he should be quarantined in his hotel room and not be able to go on a tennis court.

Ultimately, Friday’s match was pushed back by a couple of hours, and Mannarino said he found out around 4:30 p.m. that he would be allowed to play. The match started after 5 p.m., with Mannarino going on to lose to Zverev in four sets.Zverev told ESPN after his win: “I was told there was very little chance that we were going to play.”It’s unclear why Mannarino initially wasn’t allowed to take the court despite having already played earlier this week. CNN has reached out to the New York State Department of Health and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office for comment.Mannarino told reporters that he was thankful to those who helped him be able to play his match on Friday.

“Unfortunately I lost the match, but still, I’m happy I was on court,” Mannarino said.A US Open statement Friday said, “The Zverev-Mannarino match was delayed while a collaborative dialogue with health officials was conducted today. Communication with the players was ongoing during the afternoon to keep them updated at all times. Given the sensitivity of the medical issues involved, the (US Tennis Association) is not able to provide further details.”Zverev said after the match, “I guess New York state called and said that he shouldn’t play. It was back and forth, back and forth. It was political. It was not us players. We were just sitting around.”In an interview with reporters, Novak Djokovic weighed in on the matter by saying he wasn’t happy with how the situation was managed and communicated to players.”I’m hoping this can be improved. I’m hoping this is only this year and only this tournament, but it doesn’t seem like that,” adding that players may face similar circumstances going forward.