Australian Open tennis 2021 – Yulia Putintseva mocks 14-day quarantine by playing in hotel room
:focal(136x152:138x150)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2015/11/13/1731704-36632322-310-310.png)
Published 17/01/2021 at 10:59 GMT
At least 47 players are stuck in their hotel rooms after four positive coronavirus tests across two flights bound for the Australian Open. Former champions Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber are among those affected, while numerous players have voiced their anger at being stuck indoors, but tournament chief Craig Tilley insists the event will still start on February 8 in Melbourne.
Yulia Putintseva
Image credit: Getty Images
Yulia Putintseva filmed herself playing tennis against a cupboard as she geared up for a fortnight confined to a hotel room ahead of the Australian Open.
The world number 28 was among those to voice disapproval after being told she must quarantine for 14 days – without being allowed outside to practise – after a number of positive Covid-19 tests across two charter flights to Australia.
At least 47 players and 143 other travellers have been ordered to stay in their rooms.
It has prompted Putintseva to find a unique way to keep her eye in ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, laying out cones in her hotel room and whacking a ball against a cupboard.
It has been an eventful start to quarantine for the Kazakh who also had an unwanted guest: a mouse.
"Been trying to change the room for two hours already! No one came to help due to quarantine situation," Putintseva wrote on Twitter on Saturday, sharing a video of a mouse scuttling around her room.
Players were aware they would have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Australia, but would have been allowed outside after two days to practise had there been no negative tests.
Former champions Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber are among those affected.
"What I don’t understand is that, why no one ever told us, if one person on board is positive the whole plane need to be isolated. I would think twice before coming here," Putintseva wrote on Twitter.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/01/13/2970590-60967728-2560-1440.jpg)
Francesca Jones: Proving doubters wrong and reaching Australian Open
However, Australian Open chief Craig Tilley dismissed claims the rules were not properly explained.
"We did make it very clear at the beginning, that's why we had the player groups in cohorts, there was always a risk that someone would be positive and have to go into 14 days of isolation," he said.
"There was a risk on the plane that you would be a close contact, there was a risk that everyone could be a close contact."
Meanwhile, an unnamed men’s tennis player has been criticised for a "low-level" breach of quarantine rules.
"One player opened his door to try and had a conversation with his training mates down the hallway," said Emma Cassar, quarantine commissioner for the state of Victoria.
"It is really low-level but really dangerous acts which we just can't tolerate."
The Australian Open is due to start on February 8.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement