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Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park at the Australian Open
australian open Chief Craig Tiley insisted on Sunday that the Grand Slam would start as scheduled next month, although he admitted that “it’s not a great situation” for the 47 players who have been confined to their hotel rooms.
The tournament was thrown into disarray on Saturday when three people tested positive for Covid-19 on two of the 17 charter flights that carried the players and their entourage to Melbourne and Adelaide.
Neither was a player, although one was Sylvain Bruneau, coach of 2019 U.S. Open Canadian Open winner Bianca Andreescu.
All persons on board were considered to be close contacts and ordered not to leave their hotel rooms during the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
It means that 47 players will not be able to train for five hours a day as previously agreed in preparation for the inaugural Grand Slam of the year, which will begin on February 8.
People such as Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori and Angelique Kerber are believed to be among those affected, seriously affecting their preparations.
“We always knew there would be a significant risk with this pandemic, you never know,” Tiley told Channel Nine television.
“But the Australian Open is moving forward and we will continue to do our best to ensure that those players who have what is not a great situation is acceptable.
Organizers quelled rumors of a positive case on one of the two flights that brought the game’s biggest names to Adelaide.
While most of the players landed in Melbourne, superstars like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka flew to the South Australian city.
Several players, including Sorana Cirstea and Belinda Bencic, took to social media to complain about not being able to train, with some claiming that they were not informed of a hard block if a person tested positive.
“If they had told us this rule earlier, I would not play Australia,” Romanian Cirstea tweeted, and Kazakh Yulia Putintseva agreed: “I would think twice before coming here,” she said.
Tiley admitted it was difficult, but said the players were aware of the risks.
“We made it very clear at the beginning, that’s why we had the groups of players in cohorts, there was always the risk that someone would be positive and would have to spend 14 days in isolation,” he said.
“There was a risk on the plane of being a close contact, there was a risk that everyone could be a close contact.”
He said he was doing everything he could to make sure the affected players had exercise equipment in their rooms.
But he acknowledged that it would be difficult for them to be ready for a week of initial tournaments starting in Melbourne from January 31.
Asked if the 47 players would miss those events, he replied: “They have not been ruled out.
“Obviously, at this point, they are not going to have preparation on the court. But we will agree to that, we will work with each of the players to see what is best.”
“If we have to make some adjustments to the calendar, we will do our best to make it an environment that is better for the players.”
The Australian Open had already been affected by the retirement of the injured Roger Federer, while world number 16 Madison Keys and three-time Major winner Andy Murray tested positive for the virus prior to departure, so they did not board. flights to Australia.
