Huge effort for a "small miracle": a tricky start on the Australian adventure
The tennis stars begin their Australian adventure with charter flights from all over the world. First there are strict restrictions - but then the Australian Open could become the most normal tournament in a long time.
by SID
last edit: Jan 15, 2021, 01:02 pm
Angelique Kerber sat happily on the plane from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne with coach Torben Beltz, Kevin Krawietz ate one last cinnamon roll at home: While the German tennis stars were getting ready for the Australian Open, this mammoth project was faced with numerous problems elsewhere. A player got on the plane down under despite positive corona tests, a Grand Slam champion fears in quarantine about participating in the tournament and a top favorite is there without his coach.
A small drama took place at the Los Angeles airport, US professional Tennys Sandgren was not allowed to board the plane due to a positive corona test. After much back and forth, the authorities of the Australian state of Victoria made an exception, the reason: Since Sandgren was sick with COVID-19 in November, there is apparently no longer any risk of infection despite the renewed positive test.
Others were less fortunate. According to the British media , the two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray has to hope for an exceptional permit after a positive corona test in order to travel to Melbourne as a latecomer. The same applies to Nicolas Massu, the coach of US Open Champion Dominic Thiem.
Melbourne bubble costs more than 25 million euros
The effort of the Australian organizers is enormous to bring the first Grand Slam tournament of the year (from February 8th) to the stage in the midst of the pandemic - and not to carry the virus back into the country en masse after a week-long lockdown. Around 1,300 players and accompanying persons will be flown in with 18 charter planes from around the world these days, followed by a two-week quarantine. The strict bubble concept costs over 25 million euros - but that doesn't protect against criticism by a long way.
Because the top stars Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams or Naomi Osaka do not spend their quarantine in Melbourne, but in Adelaide due to a lack of space in the hotels. "This is strange for a sport in which everyone should have the same conditions," complained the Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in the newspaper L'Équipe about the special treatment, as the stars would benefit from the separate fitness area in their hotel.
Australian Open 2021 with the largest attendance since the beginning of the pandemic?
But whether in Melbourne or Adelaide - the players are only allowed to leave the hotel for five hours a day for training and treatments. Compliance with the rules is monitored under threat of severe penalties: security personnel patrol the hotels, the emergency exits are alarmed. Germany's number two Jan-Lennard Struff is fighting against boredom with books, one or the other series or backgammon games with his fitness coach, as he told SID.
The restrictions should be worthwhile - after all, a halfway ideal tennis world awaits. After completing the quarantine, the players are not only allowed to move freely, but even play again in front of numerous spectators. According to the British newspaper Guardian, the Australian Open is aiming for 35 percent of normal occupancy - it would be by far the largest number of spectators since the beginning of the pandemic.
"We are doing everything we can to organize the Australian Open under conditions that are as close as possible to 2020," said tournament director Craig Tiley - and immediately admitted that it would be "a small miracle from a logistical point of view if it were we can do it ".