The vast majority of tennis players quarantining in Melbourne are doing so without complaint, according to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley.
Key points:
- Australian Open organisers held a conference call with players last night
- A proposal to shorten men’s matches to best-of-three sets has been rejected
- Craig Tiley says Novak Djokovic is entitled to offer suggestions
Mr Tiley said tournament organisers held a conference call last night with hundreds of the players, many of whom wanted to apologise for the comments of a “minority” of disgruntled competitors.
“The majority of the players have been absolutely fantastic and this is a playing group that’s a little bit upset with what some of the playing group have said, it holds them in a bad light in the community,” Mr Tiley said.
“This is the first time that these players have experienced anything like this and this is the price that our guests and anyone coming into Australia needs to pay.”
There are currently 72 players who are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days and are unable to train outside on courts allocated to players for practice.
Some players had complained they were not aware they would be subjected to hard quarantine if they were on the same flight as someone who tested positive to the virus.
Health authorities have conducted more than 1,200 COVID-19 tests on those who have flown to Australia for the event.
Of the four new cases in hotel quarantine identified yesterday, three are related to arrivals for the tennis.
Premier Daniel Andrews said some of those cases may be reclassified as viral shedding.
Mr Tiley said the majority of players had accepted the situation and were getting on with their preparations.
“They’re now in a position that their understanding is better, but the comments of a few does not represent the comments and views of everyone,” he said.
“I really think it’s time we move on, they’ve got over the shock of the first four days of quarantine and we all get ready for what’s going to be a magnificent start to the summer.”
Australian player Nick Kyrgios has lashed out at players who have criticised quarantine conditions, and also labelled Novak Djokovic “a tool” for requesting conditions be eased.
Former Australian player Nicole Bradtke said it was just a few “serial whingers” who were colouring perceptions of the players in lockdown.
“They’re kind of the same people that keep popping up throughout the year that might complain … and some of them have no reason to be whingeing,” she said.
Men’s matches to remain best-of-five sets
A proposal to shorten men’s matches at the Australian Open so that players in hard quarantine are not disadvantaged has been quickly rejected by the tournament organisers.
Mr Tiley said there were no serious discussions about reducing men’s matches to best-of-three sets, rather than best-of-five.
“We haven’t entertained those comments or that position,” he said.
Mr Tiley said tournament organisers were looking at other ways to ensure that players having to endure hard lockdown weren’t disadvantaged, but hasn’t revealed what those measures might be.
“We’ll look at everything to create an even playing field for everyone because we now have a situation where 72 players are in the hard lockdown and they’re not going to have the same preparation as those that are getting up and practising,” he said.
He also defended world number one, Novak Djokovic, who has come under fire for issuing what has been referred to as a list of demands for easing some of the restrictions placed on players in quarantine.
“They were not demands, they were suggestions and ideas, as Novak always does,” he said.
“As number one player in the world, he’s entitled to that.
“What he was trying to do was try to find an opportunity for those players in lockdown and he was trying to take care of his playing group.”
Spanish player says hotel quarantine is ‘like a jail’
Men’s world number 13, Roberto Bautista Agut, says conditions in hotel quarantine are “like a jail with WiFi”.
“These people has [sic] no idea about tennis, about practice courts, has no idea about anything so it’s a complete disaster,” he said in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Sport5.
Bautista Agut trained with Rafael Nadal in Mallorca for two weeks before flying to Australia, but is now in quarantine in Melbourne.
“The control of everything is not Tennis Australia, it’s the people from the Government,” he said.
“I can’t imagine staying two weeks like this, it’s really really tough.”
