Australian Open 2021 - Grand Slam to plough ahead despite players' quarantine anger

The Australian Open is set to go ahead as planned. Forty-seven players and their entourages have to isolate for two weeks in their hotel rooms in Melbourne and cannot leave them to train after infections were reported on Saturday on two chartered flights carrying them to Melbourne.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has confirmed the year's first Grand Slam will go ahead from February 8 despite anger from players forced into hard quarantine in Melbourne due to positive Covid-19 cases on their charter planes.

Other players who arrived in different planes are also undertaking a mandatory 14-day quarantine but are permitted to leave their hotels for five hours a day to train.

Tiley said the tournament would start as scheduled but governing body Tennis Australia would look at altering the lead-up tournaments to help the affected players.

Australian Open

‘She needs to be selfish!’ – Wilander tells Raducanu not to care what people think

00:01:48

|

17/01/2022 at 14:12

"We are reviewing the schedule leading in to see what we can do to assist these players," Tiley told the Nine Network on Sunday.

The Australian Open is going ahead and we will continue to do the best we possibly can do to ensure those players have the best opportunity.

• 'It's dangerous' - Can players compete at Australian Open after 14-day quarantine?
• Tennis players react to 14-day quarantine
• Putintseva discovers a mouse in her Melbourne hotel room

Quarantine authorities said they had recorded a fourth Covid-19 infection among the passengers on the two charter flights carrying players to Melbourne.

A broadcaster on the flight from Los Angeles had tested positive, adding to an aircrew member and a tennis coach on the same plane who were reported on Saturday.

The other case was Sylvain Bruneau, the coach of the women's 2019 U.S. Open champion - Canada's Bianca Andreescu.

Bruneau was a passenger on a charter flight carrying 23 players from Abu Dhabi. Some of the affected players complained about their detention, saying they had not been adequately advised.

Tennis in 2020: Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek lead the way in unique season

Covid-19 quarantine Victoria boss Emma Cassar said authorities had provided consistent advice.

"The rules for close contacts haven't changed," she told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

"The program is set up to keep people safe."

Cassar also warned players to stick to quarantine rules and threatened them with A$20,000 (£11,314) fines and having them moved to an even stricter facility after two players made low-level breaches.

She said two players had opened their hotel room doors to talk to others, including one who was congratulating himself for arranging food by Uber Eats.

"So they've been warned and Victoria police will continue to follow up," she added.

Australian Open

'He gave up on the point' - Zverev cracks up after opponent's audacious net winner

17/01/2022 at 12:27

Australian Open

Osaka blasts her way into next round after easy win over Osorio

17/01/2022 at 05:46

Australian Open

‘Nervous’ Osaka wins first match after four-month hiatus

04/01/2022 at 22:54