Covid chaos Why Australian Open measures are sparking outrage from players and public
QWhy has there been such a backlash to tennis players arriving in Australia?
A
To understand how we got to the stage where an Australian politician was blasting former champion Stan Wawrinka as an example of the “double standards” for tennis, one must understand the way Australia has dealt with this pandemic.
Yesterday, it recorded just 19 new cases of coronavirus and has had fewer than 1,000 deaths.
Closing borders early, mandatory hotel quarantine for those who did arrive, plus restrictions on travel between states and tough lockdowns – Melbourne was essentially closed from July until October – has meant the country is one of those least scarred by coronavirus.
The sacrifice the public endured for months is why there appeared to be little sympathy on social media for players complaining about being forced to isolate for two weeks ahead of the tournament.
Q
What are the protocols for travel to the tournament?
A
To convince the government the tournament could be held safely, 15 chartered flights with 1,200 players and their limited entourages were arranged, with all travellers retested by on landing and tested every day thereafter for two weeks.
They must adhere to “modified” isolation rules which allow them to train on court for five hours a day and form bubbles with hitting partners.
Q
Why are players now locked in hotel rooms?
A
The players having to find ingenious ways of using hotel rooms for practice were on flights on which a passenger tested positive. These were recorded on four of the chartered flights last week, so a total of 72 players plus members of their teams are now in strict quarantine for 14 days.
Q
How are things differing to the US Open and French Open?
A
In September, the US Open and French Open were able to go ahead without much of the drama unfolding in Melbourne, but that is largely to do with the nature of the pandemic then.
In September, coronavirus cases worldwide were on a downward curve. In the United States, the government’s reaction to the pandemic has been less extreme and less effective than Australia’s.
There was arguably less public or government scrutiny of the USTA’S approach at its slam at Flushing Meadows, and at the time there were murmurs that protocols had been relaxed “to prevent player clear-out”, according to
Q
Why are some players in Australia allowed to stay in Adelaide and practise?
A
Organisers have been accused of giving special treatment to the top-ranked women’s and men’s players, who are under modified protocols in Adelaide instead of Melbourne.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka (pictured), Simona Halep and Dominic Thiem are among those who were allowed to travel to Adelaide for their two-week isolation period and compete at an exhibition tournament there.
They are said to be staying at decidedly better accommodation than those in Melbourne.
Q
Are the players in quarantine justified in being angry?
A
The outrage about a two-week quarantine does seem misplaced.
Though some, including Yulia Putintseva, suggested they had not been aware of it being a possible outcome, and others such as Alize Cornet said the ruling was “insane” (before apologising), others say organisers had told players prior to travel that positive test results on flights could result in their training privileges being taken away.