John Millman on Australian Open quarantine: "From zero to one hundred - that doesn't work"
The start date of the Australian Open is still unclear, speculation is that it will start on February 1st. A decision should be made at the beginning of next week. The main question: To what extent is training possible in the quarantine phase?
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Nov 29, 2020, 06:20 pm
That the Australian Open will be postponed in 2021 - there is a fair degree of certainty. The Australian state of Victoria has been free from COVID-19 for a month now, and it should continue to do so. January 8, 2021 is now considered as the start of quarantine for the professionals, the ATP has informed about this, writes the Australian website theage.com.au .
But the big question: To what extent are the players allowed to train during the quarantine period? Because to go through a Grand Slam tournament without sufficient preparation would be questionable. "You can't go through a hard two-week lockdown and get ready for the Australian Open," says Australian tennis pro John Millman . "I think none of the international players would go along with that. After all, the body pays the bills. And then you would be exposed to a high risk of injury. You can't go from zero to one hundred, that would be too big a risk."
Nadal and Millman agree
If the government comes to the conclusion that the overall risk of hosting is too high, "the tournament will not take place," Millman is convinced. In this respect, Rafael Nadal got to the point, he continued. "We have to wait and see what the government in Victoria says. There is not much that can be done from the ATP side. We are not in a position to dictate what is better for your country, are we?" Said Nadal at the ATP Finals explained.
And that's how Millman sees it. "We're just tennis players. Who are we to tell the government how to handle the situation? The most important thing is the health of the Australian people."
Still, Millman is optimistic. In the past few months, it has been possible to travel to Germany, be tested, spend 24 hours in lockdown and, after a negative test, train in a secure bubble between the hotel and the facility. "It worked well over the year. And that's how it works in cricket. You can train and go back to the room."