Organizers of a Russian tennis tournament said an American player took a private jet out of the country after testing positive for the coronavirus and being placed in isolation.

Organizers of the St. Petersburg Open issued a statement Thursday confirming that Querrey was disqualified from the tournament on October 11 after he and his wife tested positive - four days after their initial arrival where they had previously tested negative.

The world No.49 was withdrawn from the competition and the family was asked to isolate together at a hotel.

However, officials claim that attempts to check on the health of Querrey, his wife and baby were thwarted.

"The sportsman never opened the door of his room - neither on October 12, justifying his refusal by the fact that his child was sleeping, nor on October 13, despite prior agreement", said a statement from the tournament organisers.

"Sam Querrey was scheduled to retest on Thursday, October 15".

"Sam Querrey, as the hotel's security cameras identified, left the hotel together with his family at 5:45 a.m. on October 13 without informing the reception service".

Local health authorities recommended that Querrey and his family should move to a private apartment, CNN reported.

The ATP has issued a message to players following the incident, stressing that it is critical players adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

The ATP sent an email to players following the incident calling it "a serious breach of protocol" and adding "we are taking this matter extremely seriously and an investigation is under way".

Querrey arrived in St Petersburg having been knocked out in the first round at Roland Garros by Russia's Andrey Rublev. They told him that they would treat him and his family in a hospital if found symptomatic.

Further, Rothenberg tweeted, "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". The tournament said it was preparing to transfer Querrey's family to private apartments for quarantine. Players and their support team members are reminded that breaches of protocol can jeopardize an event's ability to operate, and have repercussions on the rest of the tour, " the body said. If the family displayed symptoms - they were reportedly experiencing what they believed to be mild symptoms - they would face a forced hospitalization.

According to ATP, a violation of the COVID-19 regulations can be viewed as a violation of the code of conduct in the section "Unsportsmanlike conduct" of the regulations.

The ATP's rules state that a major offense under the COVID-19 protocols could lead to a fine of up to $100,000 and a suspension as long as three years, as noted by the Guardian's Tumaini Carayol.