Nadal, Thiem to be without coaches

MELBOURNE: World No.2 Rafa Nadal and last year’s Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem have both suffered setbacks with their coaches unable to make the trip Down Under for the year’s first Grand Slam.

Players and officials have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in Australia before they participate in warm-up events at Melbourne Park, where the Major will be held from February 8-21.

Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya said he would not be travelling to Australia due to the strict health restrictions. Thiem’s coach Nicolas Massu of Chile was not on the flight to Australia, having tested positive for Covid-19.

Nearly 12,000km from Melbourne, the qualifying tournament is over with 16 men and 16 women set to join the singles main draw. The qualifiers join the group of players who started arriving on Thursday on 15 charter flights. Under the protocols, all players had to return a negative test before boarding their flights. But there’s already been an exception, with American player Tennys Sandgren reportedly allowed on one of the Australia-bound flights despite recently testing positive.

Sandgren tested positive on Monday after originally testing positive in late November, and was initially barred from the flight containing international players out of Los Angeles. However, he was then allowed to join the delayed flight. He posted on social media to say he wasn’t contagious.

The women qualifiers include two-time Australian Open and Roland Garros doubles champion Timea Babos of Hungary and British player Francesca Jones, who has a rare genetic condition. Jones has ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia, which means she was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left.

Britain’s former world No.1 Andy Murray tested positive for the virus, putting his Australian Open participation in doubt. Also, American Madison Keys said on Thursday she tested positive and will miss the event.