Australian Open 2021 - Covid-19 positive forces Andy Murray to withdraw from Melbourne tournament

Andy Murray has confirmed he will not take part in the 2021 Australian Open following a positive Covid-19 test.

"Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open," he said. "We’ve been in constant dialogue...to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work.

The former world number one was unable to travel to Melbourne on a charter flight last week and enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine with the rest of the field due to contracting coronavirus, which he announced on January 14.

Since then he has been in isolation at home in the UK, but the strict rules set by the state government in Australia mean that he will not be able to travel and complete the necessary quarantine period in time to compete.

The Australian Open begins on February 8.

The run-up to the first Grand Slam of the year has been beset with organisational problems. Australia's laws governing quarantine and international travel are very strict as the country is keen to keep its minuscule coronavirus numbers low. Most players have been allowed the special privilege of leaving their rooms for a strictly limited period per day in order to train, but others are stuck due to coming into contact with positive Covid cases on their flights to Australia.