Several tennis stars at the Australian Open have questioned whether their colleagues are being honest about Covid test results after a sudden drop in positive cases.
Organisers in Melbourne had been hoping to draw a line under Covid-related controversies since the Novak Djokovic saga was finally put to bed on the eve of the tournament.
But the latest potential scandal might be round the corner, as some players are beginning to call testing protocols into question.
The last mandatory test for foreign travellers was on the fifth day after their arrival, and since then players have been trusted to test themselves and report the results.
Several players had tested positive upon their arrival Down Under, leading to assumptions that more cases would be identified during the tournament.
But there has only been one more positive case, reported by French player Ugo Humbert who had already been knocked out of the competition.
It is leading to suspicion that there are actually more positive cases, but they are going unreported as players know it would end their chances of going deeper into the tournament.
Men's third seed Alexander Zverev is one of those who has voiced his opinion that this is the case.
"Quite a few players I think have it now," he said after winning his second round match against John Millman.
"We are not getting tested, so I think if we would get tested there would be probably more positives than there are now."
Nick Kyrgios, who lost in the second round against favourite Daniil Medvedev, has talked up the importance of players taking responsibility for their own health after a positive test shortly before the Grand Slam.
"All the players are obligated to test, they're all being sent testing kits to test. And that's what I did in Sydney, I tested every day, and obviously tested positive," he said.
"Obviously me thinking, a week out of Australian Open, 'is this ideal?' But that's what everyone in Australia is doing right now. You should be testing. Should be doing the right thing."
One of those who has been taking it seriously is Andy Murray, who has had daily tests and had been wearing his face mask during press conferences even though it is not mandatory.
"Ultimately that comes down to the responsibility of the players. Some will do that and some won't unfortunately," he said bluntly.
