A Day At The Drive tennis 2021 - Rafael Nadal praises Australia's pandemic response

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 29/01/2021 at 12:55 GMT

Tennis star Rafael Nadal was full of praise for Australia's response to the coronavirus pandemic after beating Dominic Thiem in an exhibition match against Dominic Thiem. Australia has seen no positive Covid-19 cases within the community in the last three weeks thanks to strict government laws.

Rafael Nadal praised Australia's response to the coronavirus pandemic during the 'A Day at the Drive' exhibition tournament in Adelaide.

Australia has not recorded a case of Covid-19 within the community for three weeks thanks to a series of strict lockdowns and government laws.

As a result of their efforts, 4000 fans were in attendance during the exhibition match between Nadal and Dominic Thiem in Adelaide, the first time in almost a year that the players had played for a crowd.

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And Nadal was quick to thanks the fans and praise Australia.

"It has been a very hard year for all the world in general," he said

"We are still in a very tough situation, but I think Australia is an amazing example of how to control things in the right way, so many congratulations to the country.

Roughly 500 players are now emerging from quarantine just six days ahead of the Australian Open. They have been forced to quarantine inside their hotels for 14 days, and were allowed outdoors for just five hours a day for practice.

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And while the measures have come under fire from some corners, Nadal spoke positively of the experience before thanking the fans for attending.

"The last two weeks have been great, honestly. It’s not idea to stay 14 days in quarantine but that’s the way it has to be done.

Highlights: Nadal beats Thiem in exhibition match

"We can’t thank enough South Australia and Tennis Australia.

"This is an amazing pleasure to be in Adelaide and to play again in front of you guys. We missed you a lot."

The 2021 Australian Open is live and exclusive on Eurosport. You can watch every moment on eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.

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