Getty/Mike Owen
- The Australian Open is descending into chaos before it has even begun thanks to strict new protocols around COVID-19.
- Seventy-two players are now in quarantine after positive coronavirus test results on three separate inbound flights to Melbourne on January 16.
- Some of those players are not best pleased, saying that the quarantine is disrupting their preparations. “It’s a complete disaster,” one said.
- World number one Novak Djokovic is among those unhappy with the preparations, writing to tournament director Craig Tiley with a list of changes he wants.
- Daniel Andrews, the head of the government in Victoria said: “People are free to provide lists of demands, but the answer is no.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The Australian Open is descending into chaos before it has even begun with players complaining about quarantine, making demands to tournament organizers, and arguing on social media.
This year’s tournament is operating under strict measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which include flying all players into Australia on chartered planes, strict time limits on players leaving their hotel rooms after arriving, and in some cases, total quarantines.
Seventy-two players are now in mandatory two-week quarantine after positive coronavirus test results on three separate inbound flights to Melbourne on January 16.
One positive test was recorded on a flight from Doha, one from a flight from Abu Dhabi, and two from Los Angeles.
Players who arrived on the flights – including Grand Slam winners Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Angelique Kerber – are now having to isolate full-time in their hotel rooms for two weeks and are not allowed to train outside.
The first round of the tournament begins on February 8, meaning players impact will have just a maximum of a week to practice before kick-off.
"It's a complete disaster," Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, another of the players who has been forced into hard-quarantine, said, according to Tennis Head.
"You can work in the room but it's not the same. I feel very, very tight and I cannot imagine staying two weeks like this. It's really, really tough. I will have to work a lot mentally."
"These people have no idea about tennis, about practice courts, about anything," he added.
Romanian Sorana Cirstea tweeted to say it was unfair to expect those impacted to compete in the tournament with what will be such little preparation.
"I have no issues to stay 14 days in the room watching Netflix," she said. "Believe me this is a dream come true, holiday even. What we cant do is COMPETE after we have stayed 14 days on a couch.
"This is the issue, not the quarantine rule."
—Sorana Cirstea (@sorana_cirstea) January 16, 2021
Tournament Director Craig Tiley responded to criticism of the situation by saying, according to Bloomberg: "We are in this situation, we have to deal with it, the Australian Open is going ahead.
"Players will be provided with fitness equipment for their hotel rooms. It's a tough situation and we have got to do whatever we can to make it as fair as possible for those players that are in lockdown."
The rest of the players are in a softer lockdown, but that still hasn't stopped complaints
Those who aren't in hard quarantine are still restricted in their movements before the tournament, and are allowed to leave their hotels for five hours per day.
According to British player Katie Boulter, that time is split between two hours on court, an hour and a half in the gym, an hour to eat, and 30 minutes to travel between the hotel and tournament facilities.
Many players, however, are not happy about these limitations. World number one Novak Djokovic, who is one of those allowed to train outside the hotel for five hours per day, is leading the revolt.
According to tennis journalist Fernando Murciego, Djokovic wrote a letter to Tiley to demand he shorten quarantine periods, allow players to see their coaches, and move as many players as possible to private houses with tennis courts.
Nick Kyrgios called Djokovic a "tool" for making the demands, which were abruptly shot down by Victoria premier Daniel Andrews.
"People are free to provide lists of demands, but the answer is no," said Andrews.
"And that was very clearly put, that was very clearly laid out beforehand. So the notion that there's been any change, the notion that people weren't briefed, I think that argument really has no integrity whatsoever."
He added: "They were all briefed on that before they came. And that was the condition on which they came. There's no special treatment here."
Kyrgios also took aim at the girlfriend of Bernard Tomic, Vanessa Sierra, who released a video on Instagram complaining about the food provided during the tournament, and that she had to wash her own hair.
—Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 18, 2021
"I don't mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes," said Kyrgios.
Most players are just grinning and bearing it
While there have been a number of complaints before the tournament, many players have simply accepted that the strict measures in place in Australia are necessary for an elite sporting to go ahead in the middle of a pandemic.
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open winner, posted on Twitter Tuesday, effectively urging her fellow players to suck it up, stop complaining, and realize that they're extremely privileged.
"I would like to ask all my colleagues for cooperation, understanding and empathy for the local community that has been going through a lot of very demanding restrictions that they did not choose, but were forced to follow," she wrote.
—victoria azarenka (@vika7) January 19, 2021
Among those to fall into line with Azarenka's message were Boulter, who noted in a BBC interview the need to "keep things in perspective" adding that "there's a lot going on in the world right now that's more important."
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