Fnatic VALORANT player Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev has recently contracted COVID-19, multiple sources close to the player told Dot Esports on March 31.
Derke has to test negative for the virus within the next few days to be eligible to participate in VCT Masters, which is set to begin on April 10. This means it’s not guaranteed Derke will be ineligible to compete, contrary to a report by Dexerto journalist Arran “Halo” Spake and “Lembo.”
Derke is well and is not experiencing major symptoms following his diagnosis, according to sources close to the player.
“There’s a big chance I’ll go, just relax and believe guys,” Derke said on Reddit shortly after news broke of his illness.
If Derke cannot attend the event, KOI duelist Joona “H1ber” Parviainen will play for Fnatic in his place, according to Lembo.
Fnatic recently suspended Russian player Andrew “braveaf” Gorchakov following comments surfacing in which he supposedly showed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Braveaf made the comments on Feb. 24 and apologized on Twitter yesterday.
Braveaf declined to comment when approached by Dot Esports.
Fnatic is set to compete in the upcoming VCT Masters, which is the first international VALORANT event of the year. Fnatic qualified for the tournament following a third-place finish in the first stage of EMEA Challengers, which concluded on March 28.
VCT Masters is set to begin on April 10 and conclude on April 24.
