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The start of player training before the Australian Open in Melbourne has been delayed following another positive test for coronavirus in a flight passenger. This brings the number of positive cases to four before the first tennis major of the year, as authorities announced Sunday. All fellow travelers must be in a strict 14-day quarantine at their hotels as first contact, including 47 tennis players.
The other players can only start training on Monday because not all test results are available, said Emma Cassar, head of authorities responsible for quarantine affairs in the Australian state of Victoria. According to her, an announcer tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving from Los Angeles. Also, a crew member and a coach and a coach who arrived from Abu Dhabi tested positive. Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu’s coach announced Saturday that she had tested positive and apologized for the consequences.
Threat of fines for infractions
The Victoria authorities warned the players in isolation not to ignore the strict conditions. Cassar threatened fines of AU $ 20,000 (12,750 euros) for even minor infractions. A player is said to have previously talked to a sparring partner in a hotel hallway.
Active people who complete the normal quarantine for two weeks can leave the hotel for five hours a day to train and get fit. Regardless of this, there was occasional criticism that some elite players such as Dominic Thiem, Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spaniard Rafael Nadal may pass the mandatory quarantine with training opportunities in Adelaide in slightly better condition than the rest of the field. The Australian Open is scheduled to begin on February 8.
