- UPDATED: 72 players will serve the same hard lockdown as any Melbourne arrivals after positive tests come in from the charter flights commissioned by Tennis Australia
- Adelaide privileges beginning to make tensions high
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – CEO of Tennis Australia talked to media after a day of chaos as positive tests from incoming charter flights put 47 players in hard lockdown.
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Just as the mandatory 14-day quarantine period begins, plans are being thrown into chaos as subsequent tests on arrival have identified three positive tests on incoming charter flights.
Craig Tiley talks to media about the evolving situation to 9News in Melbourne
We are joined by Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley, after 50 players were deemed unable to train for two weeks after being on flights with infected people. #9News pic.twitter.com/NTy5dn0JGh
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 16, 2021
US to Melbourne
A member of the air-crew and a coach tested positive on their arrival into Melbourne.
Key players believed to be affected on this flight include:
• Victoria Azarenka
• Tennys Sandgren
• Kei Nishikori
• Guido Pella
• Pablo Cuevas
• Sloane Stephens
Abu Dhabi to Melbourne
It has now been revealed that Bianca Andreescu’s coach Sylvain Bruneau tested positive on arrival.
Another @AustralianOpen transit complication…..From Sylvain Bruneau coach of @Bandreescu_ …best to him to recover quickly pic.twitter.com/fXJq0pE9J8
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) January 16, 2021
Key players believed to be affected on this flight include:
• Bianca Andreescu
• Angelique Kerber
• Svetlana Kuznetsova
• Ons Jabeur
• Marta Kostyuk
• Belinda Bencic
• Maria Sakkari
• Heather Watson
On the WTA side, these players are on the extended entry list for the two WTA 500 events as warm-ups – the Gippsland Trophy and Yarra Valley Classic, and the plan was to split the entry list for the two tournaments.
Also affected will be arrangements for players to practice with each other – for example Watson was to practice in the first week with Johanna Konta and in the second week they were combining with Petra Kvitova and Amanda Anisimova.
UPDATE: Doha flight also records a positive test
#AusOpen update… pic.twitter.com/x7m34jhqns
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2021
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Meanwhile – in Adelaide, Tennis SA confirmed that a curtain raiser would take place with players arriving from January 14 and undergoing mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
Players include:
• Novak Djokovic
• Rafael Nadal
• Serena Williams
• Naomi Osaka
• Simona Halep
• Dominic Thiem
There has already been unrest with regards to the sizes of their entourages compared to the more limited numbers of players and coaches flying into Melbourne and the flight into Adelaide was not immune.
Filip’s fitness coach Agustin tested positive on 24th December, he quarantined for two weeks afterwards. I suppose that he is not contagious by now, but we will see. #AO2021 https://t.co/8KgGOBjv2o
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) January 16, 2021
If matters were not bad enough – we all know about the many kinds of spiders you might encounter in Australia – as Lauren Davis found out (h/t Matt Roberts/Twitter)
This horror follows some *extremely* relatable content (and *extremely* questionable technique) from Lauren Davis yesterday pic.twitter.com/ajGBnTKUXE
— Matt Roberts (@MattRobertsTTP) January 16, 2021
Coronavirus in Australia – Key Facts to remember
Australia, the State of Victoria and Melbourne have contained the virus by a very strict lockdown procedure. The inhabitants of the state and city have endured a lot of hardship, people are continuing to die from the evolving strain, and many livelihoods have been lost.
So understandably there is also a degree of annoyance – players (prior to the news of positive tests and lockdowns) had been posting about the standard of their lunch, and meeting with a lot of criticism by fans, and some pundits given the efforts that Tennis Australia were going to in order to try and put a Slam on.
But there has seemed to be a constant conflict between what Tennis Australia wanted to offer, and what the State of Victoria could feasibly allow, given we are still in the grip of a global pandemic.
Many Australians cannot get home because of the very strict regulations about entry into Australia, so over a thousand sports people, their teams and officials flying in, being put up for free in hotels and then complaining about food has garnered very little sympathy.
READ MORE | While you’re in it, try and read the room
On the flip side of the coin, Marta Kostyuk and Paula Badosa also point out the kinds of criticism players face from tennis gamblers who lose, and how playing after two weeks of no conditioning will lead to challenges (h/t Ben Rothenberg/Twitter)
WTA players Marta Kostyuk and Paula Badosa giving a player perspective on the tougher lockdown they’re now facing. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/9EvK1XE6T9
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 16, 2021
The Australian Open could be the most open-ended contest given the task now faced by the organisers to allow players to prepare to compete in the first Slam of the year – indeed if it can go ahead at all.
The Australian Open is scheduled to take place between 8-21 February.
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