American tennis star Sam Querrey has reportedly fled Russia after testing positive for coronavirus.
According to Ben Rothenberg, Querrey and his family tested positive for the virus while in Russia for the ATP 500 St. Petersburg, and were put up at the St. Petersburg Four Seasons. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
However, the family was reportedly informed they could be hospitalized if they developed symptoms. That’s when things took a turn right out of James Bond! Querrey had no interest in being separated from his family in a Russian hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.
He booked a private jet, escaped with his family and is now “at an AirBNB in said unknown country.” Rothenberg added that “the plan is for Querrey to keep his whereabouts undisclosed.”
You can read the entire absurd report below.
OK, so here is the story of Sam Querrey fleeing Russia after testing positive for coronavirus:
[thread]
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
49th-ranked Sam Querrey entered the ATP 500 St. Petersburg, and was slated to face second-seeded Denis Shapovalov in the first round of the main draw.
Before that match, however, Sam tested positive for coronavirus.
So, too, did Sam’s wife, Abby, and eight-month-old son, Ford.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
The three Querreys were instructed to quarantine for 14 days at their hotel in St. Petersburg.
As the St. Petersburg Four Seasons is famous across the tour for being fancy as all heck, this was something the Querrey family was purportedly very ready to obligingly do.
But then, pic.twitter.com/1qOkfzXALV
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
Sam received an unexpected call from someone with the Russian health authorities who said that the family would be visited by a doctor, and if they were found to have symptoms they could be forced to be hospitalized.
This took the shine off the five-star moment considerably.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
The Querreys, who were experiencing what they considered mild symptoms, feared any or all being hospitalized in Russia, especially so given that they were traveling with their eight-month-old son, from whom they did not want to be potentially separated in a foreign country.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
So Sam, who has worn patches from a private jet sponsor during some of the bigger matches in his career (including his Wimbledon semifinal run in 2017), arranged and paid for a private jet to whisk the family across the Russian border, away from the health authority’s reach.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
Sitting in the back of their hired jet so as to keep as distant as possible from pilots, the Querreys were delivered to what is only being described as “a nearby European country” which didn’t require a negative test for entry.
He’s staying at an AirBNB in said unknown country.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
Not wanting to further entangle local health authorities in that country (or maybe cause extradition?), the plan is for Querrey to keep his whereabouts undisclosed (cue the Carmen Sandiego theme, Rockapella), but here’s a map of the region.
October is lovely around the Baltic! pic.twitter.com/DEPUcfMmzA
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 14, 2020
I don’t blame Querrey at all for fleeing Russia. I don’t blame him one bit. I probably would have done the exact same thing if I was in his shoes.
If you think getting stuck in Russia with coronavirus is a good idea, then you’re a moron. I would have been on a jet so fast that your head would be spinning.
That’s exactly what Querrey did with his family, and it was 100% the correct call. This is straight out of “Argo” merged with a solid James Bond movie.
I mean, he literally had to flee Russia during a global pandemic. This is something straight out of a movie.
Stay frosty, Querrey!