Querry: Why I fled Russia for Britain
American tennis star Sam Querrey managed to sneak into the UK with his family on a private jet after fleeing isolation in Russia while Covid-19 positive.
The 33-year-old last week received a suspended US$20,000 (NZ$27,560) fine by the ATP tour for breaching coronavirus protocols at the St Petersburg Open in October.
He left Russia on a private plane after testing positive, despite having been placed in an isolation hotel by local authorities, and his fine will only be waived if he does not commit any further violations of health and safety protocols related to Covid-19 during a six-month probationary period.
Speaking to American sports magazine Sports Illustrated, Querrey revealed how he left Russia for the UK, where a negative Covid-19 test wasn’t a requirement to enter the country, with wife Abby Dixon because of concerns about being separated from their seven-month-old son, Ford.
‘‘I kinda had to make a decision between 10pm and 10am the next day,’’ Querrey said.
‘‘I had my wife there, and I had my baby there, and as a human decision, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t feel comfortable with this’. So we made the decision to charter a plane and leave.
‘‘I contacted a jet broker, and said, ‘can I get a plane in, like, nine hours leaving from St Petersburg to London?’ and he came through and got one for me. We left the hotel early in the morning so we wouldn’t be seen, and went right to the private jet terminal in St Petersburg and flew to London.’’
The privately chartered flight is believed to have cost US$40,000 (NZ$55,000).
The former world No 11, now ranked No 56, was heavily criticised for flouting the rules but defended his actions by saying he wore a mask during the flight, did not explore London on arrival, and rented an Airbnb property where they all quarantined for 14 days.
‘‘I felt as a father and a husband there’s a human element to this, and I had to do what I feel like is right. I wasn’t willing to let our family go to a hospital for a minimum of two weeks where we were at,’’ he told Sports Illustrated.
‘‘In my opinion, we didn’t really put anyone in danger. We kept to ourselves, we had two masks on, we did everything we possibly could in that journey to minimise exposure to anyone, and frankly, I think we did a great job. Talking to doctors [afterwards] they were like, ‘Look, you guys did a great job of doing that, and I can’t simply see how you would have passed it [the virus] along to anyone during that trip’.’’
Still, the ATP handed him a suspended fine after investigating the incident, saying ‘‘many years of otherwise good standing with the ATP and other mitigating factors’’ were taken into account.