Australian Open quarantine: Svitolina and Monfils are only allowed to wave to each other
The two-week quarantine period in the run-up to the Australian Open poses a certain problem, especially for couples in love.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 05, 2021, 05:45 pm
In Melbourne, preparations for a Grand Slam tournament of a different kind are in full swing. Six tournaments will take place in Melbourne Park between January 31 and February 21, 2021 , and if everything goes well, at least the players will be back to normal during this period.
If you got through the quarantine from January 16 to 31 without a positive corona test, you can move freely again in Melbourne - at least that's the current status after more than one time in the capital of the "Happy Slam" Had no new COVID-19 infection in the month. Recently, however, complaints were made about individual cases.
The quarantine time itself? May be more to one, less to the other. Five hours of going out should be allowed, to linger on the facility (training, fitness, eating) and, at least in week one, to play tennis with only one steady partner . Elina Svitolina suspects this will be a “quite special experience” - she has another problem: because meeting her friend , ATP colleague Gael Monfils, is prohibited.
"Strange to know"
"Gael and I have already received a letter in which it says that we are not allowed to see each other during this time in order not to expand the group of people allowed," said the fifth in the world ranking according to the Ukrainian website btu.org.ua. "That is the decree of the Australian government."
It would of course be "weird to know that we are somewhere nearby, but not allowed to come together," the Ukrainian continued.
Is it good or bad for the 26-year-old's game? It remains to be seen: So far there have been two quarter-finals for Svitolina, 2018 and 2019. Last year, however, it was already over in round 3.