An American doubles player at Wimbledon has taken to Twitter today to deny claims that he has withdrawn from the tournament suffering from swine flu.

Travis Parrott, 28, was reported to be among three male doubles players who had been sent home from SW19 with suspected cases of swine flu.

In a message to the American broadcaster CNN, Parrott wrote on his Twitter page this afternoon: "Can you guys help me out and spread the word that I do not have swine flu, unlike what the Daily Mail claimed earlier. Thanks!"

Reports that three low-profile male doubles players may have contracted swine flu came after the All England Club confirmed that 28 members of staff had been asked to remain away from the ground with "flu-like symptoms".

Two of the players are reported to be Slovakia’s Michael Mertinak, 29, and Filip Polasek, 24, who were knocked out of the men’s doubles last week and had been sharing a hotel room.

The All England Club would not comment on these reports but confirmed that four ballboys and girls were sent home on Monday and eight more yesterday, though three have today been allowed to return on court.

A spokesman for the All England Club said: "It's no cause for concern. There's no threat to the competition and we're not changing our procedures in any way. Hygiene is high in everyone's consciousness."

Among the members of staff affected are a shop assistant, a few catering staff and a worker from the broadcast centre – a total of 28 out of the 6,000 members of staff at the All England Club.

The chief executive of the club, Ian Ritchie, said: "It's still entirely in line with the wider London community."

The members of staff with flu-like symptoms have not been tested and must be free of symptoms for at least 24 hours before being allowed to return to work.