When group pics go viral – literally

MELBOURNE, Australia – Back before a worldwide pandemic made us second-guess every move, group photos of player teams, countrymen and practice partners were par for the course.

These are, of course, not normal days.

And the case of the Argentines shows how quickly a happy group of guys can turn into … a lot of quarantine.

Back during the Australian Open men’s qualifying, I noted this photo of a group of Argentines posing indoors, in the dining room, as something that was both unnecessary and potentially problematic.

For those who ask why I post this stuff (because apparently some people need explanations): one of the players in this photo tested positive for Covid yesterday and is … out of the tournament.
So did another Argentine.

What about these *close contacts*?#scraptheselfies https://t.co/WQwtpPtr2N
— Stephanie Myles (@OpenCourt) January 12, 2021

The positive test reported the very next day cost Francisco Cerundolo a lot of money, as he had to default his second-round qualifying match against a player he was well capable of beating.

And he still hasn’t played since.

Two more positives from the group shot

But, according to Marca, the consequences of that photo hardly ended there.

Marca reports that Guido Andreozzi and Renzo Olivo were considered close contacts (why the others were not, of if they were not, we don’t know).

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A post shared by Renzo Olivo (@renzolii)

So they had to isolate for 10 days, with the proviso that they could go out and train as long as they continued to test negative.

Less than a week later, both tested positive, and the quarantine clock was reset.

The Marca story, published Monday, indicated the two were to be tested on Tuesday and if they were negative, they could finally get out. If not, they had to remain quarantined another four days.

Bagnis only returns this week at the Challenger in Antalya. Mena is in the Antalya qualifying.

Collarini and Andreozzi have yet to return.