French tennis player Kristina Mladenovic furiously engaged in a tirade against the organizers of the US Open, even going so far as to say that she felt like a “prisoner” in the “abominable” conditions at the North American grand slam.
While the tournament organizers enforced strict health guidelines to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, Mladenovic was one of the players who found herself placed in “a bubble within a bubble” after Benoit Paire tested positive for coronavitus.
Her attack on the US Open came after her stunning defeat to Varvara Gracheva. After holding a 6-1 5-1 lead, the 30th seed went on to lose 1-6 7-6 6-0. She described the match as the most painful she experienced in her career.
Mladenovic had the following to say regarding her time at the US Open, “It’s a nightmare what we are experiencing here. I have only one desire, and that’s to get my freedom back and even that we don’t have yet.”
“If I had known that playing cards for 40 minutes with a mask with a player who tested positive and ultimately negative would have these consequences, I would never have set foot in this tournament.”
