Australian Open boss Craig Tiley remains “absolutely confident” the grand slam tournament will start on Monday as planned despite its links to a hotel quarantine worker who tested positive for COVID-19.
International players and their support staff who were at that Melbourne CBD hotel, the Grand Hyatt, are in isolation and undergoing testing, with Tennis Australia planning to resume postponed lead-in events on Friday.
Australia’s Matt Ebden posted a photo to social media saying he’d had the test early on Thursday.
“We are absolutely confident the Australian Open is going to go ahead,” Mr Tiley told media on Thursday.
“We will be starting on Monday and we have no intention of changing times.”
Thursday’s matches at the six Open tune-up events at Melbourne Park were postponed but Mr Tiley said dependent on results they would resume Friday and conclude on Sunday.
The Open draw, due to be held on Thursday night, was delayed until Friday afternoon.
Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer Professor Allen Cheng said the risk to players and their support staff was low and the testing was a precautionary measure.
The hotel worker, who was on the same floor as infected guests, worked his last shift on Friday and returned a positive result on Wednesday.
“I think it’s unlikely but we have asked for testing of all of the players and other people who have been in that hotel,” Mr Cheng said on Thursday morning.
“We think the risk to other guests at the hotel, so tennis players and their accompanying staff, is relatively low because they were in the rooms at the time as opposed to staff who were outside the rooms.
“That said, the last case to leave the hotel for the health hotel left on the 22nd so we’re now getting on to close to 14 days since that time.
“So we think that risk is relatively low so we’re testing them to be sure, and it’s precautionary.”
Mr Cheng said it was “unlikely” the Open will be cancelled, but Premier Daniel Andrews warned it was an unfolding situation.
“The tournament proper should not be affected by this, (but) these things can change,” the premier said.
The worker’s two family members whom he lives with have not tested positive at this stage.
Some 72 players were forced into hard quarantine for 14 days after positive tests following the 18 charter flights to Australia, with one player – Spain’s Paula Badosa – among those infected.
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