Four players have dropped out of the Australian Open with “chest pains.”
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No, tennis players haven’t dropped out of the Australian Open due to chest pains
If Your Time is short
- Inaccurate claims about tennis players quitting the Australian Open are based on years-old video footage and misinformation.
The Australian Open is underway but some social media users are suggesting that the tennis competition has been marred by COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
"Fourth player drops out of Australian Open with ‘chest pains,’" one Jan. 19 Facebook post said.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Tennis Australia, which organizes the Australian Open, didn’t respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the claim.
The post doesn’t specify which four players dropped out of the Australian Open with chest pains, but it shows a picture of Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovic hunched over on her knees next to a fallen tennis racket.
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However, that image is from 2020, when she retired from her match after "she dropped to her knees with a coughing spell amid poor air quality," Sky News then reported. Wildfires were polluting the air in Australia at the time and the air quality was bad enough that residents were advised to stay indoors.
Although some social media posts are sharing the footage of her collapsing as if it's current, Jakupovic isn’t even on the roster of players competing in this year’s Australian Open. On Jan. 12, she posted a photo from Dubai.
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Searching online, we found mentions of two other players allegedly quitting the Australian Open due to chest pains: Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia and Nick Kyrgios of Australia.
On Jan. 5 — before the Australian Open — Basilashvili retired from a match in the ATP Cup in Sydney due to breathing difficulties.
He and a doctor "had a conversation before another doctor joined as hand gestures suggested he was feeling tightness in his chest," the Sun reported. "He was overheard saying: ‘Every shot I’m out of breath.’"
Basilashvili competed in the Australian Open, losing to Andy Murray on Jan. 18 in a "five-set thriller," ESPN reported.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 19, 2022
Sky News, Australian Open: Dalila Jakupovic retires after coughing fit amid poor air quality, Jan. 14, 2020
NBC News, Tennis player Dalila Jakupovic quits Australian Open after coughing fit in smoke-filled air, Jan. 14, 2020
Dalia Jakupovic Instagram post, Jan. 12, 2022
Tweet, Jan. 15, 2022
Tweet, Jan. 16, 2022
Tweet, Jan. 17, 2022
Australian Open players, visited Jan. 21, 2022
ESPN, Nick Kyrgios pulls out of Sydney Tennis Classic after testing positive for COVID-19, Jan. 10, 2022
Tennis, KYRGIOS EXITS IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN SHOWSTOPPER, Jan. 20, 2022
CNN, Nick Kyrgios tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of Australian Open, Jan. 20, 2022
ESPN, Australian Open 2022: Nick Kyrgios shows his talent and lack of interest in loss against Daniil Medvedev, Jan. 20, 2022
The Sun, TENNIS TROUBLES ‘This is very concerning’ – Tennis ace Basilashvili struggles to breathe and treated by doctor before match abandoned, Jan. 5, 2022
ESPN, Andy Murray beats Nikoloz Basilashvili in five-set thriller at Australian Open, Jan. 18, 2022
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No, tennis players haven’t dropped out of the Australian Open due to chest pains
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