There are no active coronavirus cases among tennis players in hotel quarantine ahead of the Australian Open, according to the tournament director Craig Tiley.
Key points:
- There are six active coronavirus cases linked to arrivals for the tennis
- Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut has apologised for comparing hotel quarantine to jail
- Lead-in events could be adjusted to allow for players who’ve been unable to train
Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services said two people who’d tested positive had been reclassified as cases of viral shedding.
Mr Tiley said 3,200 tests were conducted on people who flew into Melbourne to be involved in the Australian Open in some capacity, and 6 of those people were considered active cases.
“We’re in our sixth day and so far our numbers have been extremely low and if they are active cases they go straight to the medi-hotel,” he said.
Paramedics this morning responded to a medical emergency at the View Hotel, where many tennis players have been quarantined.
Ambulance Victoria said one person was taken to hospital in a stable condition, but did not reveal whether the person was connected to the tennis.
Loading…
Tennis Australia has devoted considerable time to dealing with a vocal minority of players who have continued to complain about conditions in hotel quarantine.
Spanish player, Roberto Bautista Agut, issued an apology after he likened conditions in quarantine to being in jail in a video he said was released without his consent.
In the video, Bautista Agut was critical of the Victorian Government, saying the quarantine arrangements were “a complete disaster.”
He later issued a statement saying it was a private conversation taken out of context and released to the media without his knowledge.
Loading
Russian player Yulia Putintseva drew criticism yesterday for an Instagram post in which she was seen holding a protest sign in her hotel room.
Putintseva later continued to complain about cleanliness standards, posting videos of mice in her hotel room.
Loading
Craig Tiley said Tennis Australia had to remind players that their complaints may not be well received in Melbourne.
“We’re doing the best we can to ask the players to be respectful of the Victorian community who’ve been through a really tough time, over four months of a lockdown, and paid significant prices in loss of life and also in jobs,” he said.
“It’s just one of those environments that we have to every single day talk to the players and ask them to respect that position. I believe the majority of them are, it’s just a select few that are not there yet.”
British player Johanna Konta spoke up during a conference call with hundreds of players earlier this week, urging them to be mindful of local sentiment and keep their complaints private.
She told Channel Nine that emotions were running high during the first few days of quarantine, and players were simply anxious about how they would perform after two weeks in a hotel room.
“A big part of that frustration for these players will be how well will they be able to perform and I think that just comes along with being a professional athlete and sometimes rationale doesn’t come into it,” she said.
“The reason we are here is to put on a show for the people of Australia, the people of Melbourne and also the world stage.”
Tennis Australia is yet to reveal whether allowances would be made in its schedule for the 72 players in hard quarantine, but Craig Tiley hinted that could be a possibilty.
“I think how we can adjust is what happens in the lead-in events, how many lead-in events we have and when we start and what the schedule is for those players who need more time.”
