IT’S WIMBLEDON KO FOR COVID BREACH

Wimbledon is set to impose fines of up to £14,300 and disqualification on players if they or their entourage breach strict Covid rules at this year’s tournament. Competitors will also be allowed to book only one extra room at the sanctioned hotel for their support team, meaning even the biggest names will have to travel without their usual level of back-up. Players and their representatives have been sent a document — the details of which were revealed by MailOnline yesterday — spelling out that participants will have only one

room provided for free. Despite the prospect of London being fully open when the tournament starts on June 28, the players have been told they must not venture beyond tournament or practice sites, or the designated hotel. ‘Any breach by either a player or their guests/team may lead to default and/or loss of accreditation,’ states the document. ‘Support team members are also subject to a fine of up to $20,000 (£14,300) for which the player is responsible.’ With crowds currently planned at around 25 per cent capacity, there is clearly going to be belt-tightening for the tournament this year which, unlike for 2020, is not covered by insurance. Players have been informed they must pay £280 per night for the additional double room permitted at the Westminster Hotel that will be around a 40-minute journey from the courts. It will be a culture shock for the likes of Roger Federer, who normally rents two houses in the same road in Wimbledon village for his family and support group. As for those British players who live close by — a few are within walking distance — they will still be obliged to move into the hotel. If the Government roadmap goes as planned from June 21, players face being confined while watching from their rooms and chauffeured cars as ordinary citizens live freely. Tennis has been played mostly within bubble conditions since last August. There was a near rebellion against restrictions among the men at the Miami Open late last month, where world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas was fined $7,500 (£5,400) for breaking Covid protocols.