Venus to play in World Tour Finals after quarantine issue sorted
TENNIS
AUCKLAND: New Zealand tennis player Michael Venus will play in next week’s ATP World Tour Finals in London after resolving a quarantine issue.
The 33yearold doubles player and his Australian partner John Peers last week qualified sixth in the race to London when they reached the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters.
Their participation had been in doubt due to Venus having a quarantine voucher in New Zealand for this week, meaning he would have to have left from London yesterday morning (NZ time).
He had applied to have his managed isolation changed until after the tournament finishes on November 22, but his request was turned down.
Venus was initially told the earliest he would be able to return to New Zealand was December 20 and each day that return date was pushed out.
He feared not playing the ATP Finals would jeopardise his chances of qualifying for the Olympics due to a ranking points loss that would result in him slipping from No 8 in the world to outside the top 20.
Top 10ranked players are guaranteed spots in the Olympics draw.
However, the Government has made an extra 100 places a day in quarantine available before Christmas from December 13 and Venus has secured a spot on that day.
While he will still try to keep changing to an earlier date, he is committed to trying to win the World Tour Finals with Peers, a tournament he will be playing in for the fourth straight year.
Venus will face three weeks in London after the tournament and will be unable to train due to the lockdown in the UK and then a further two weeks in quarantine in New Zealand.
It will mean he will not be able to prepare properly for the Australian Open, which is scheduled for the end of January.
He is considering trying to go to another European country, so he can train after the event in London. — RNZ