Bautista explodes due to quarantine: “This is the same as a jail but with wifi”

Roberto Bautista is one of the players who has been most affected due to the strict quarantine decreed by the Government of Victoria before the Australian Open after several cases of coronavirus were detected on the flights that arrived in Melbourne and that has made up to 72 players have to go two full weeks without leaving their room.

In an interview with Israel Bautista's Sport 5 television channel, he harshly criticized the established protocols and even came to compare his situation with that of a prison. “This is the same as a jail but with Wi-Fi. People have no idea about tennis, about the training courts … They have no idea about anything. It is a complete disaster because of that, because they are in control of everything.”

The Castellón tennis player did not want to blame Tennis Australia, but he did blame the government of Victoria and confessed that it will be very hard for him to be locked in his room for two weeks without even being able to go out to train. “It's not Tennis Australia's fault, it's the Victorian Government's fault. You can work in the room but it's not the same. I feel very restricted and I can't imagine being like this for two weeks. It's very hard and I will have to work a lot mentally.” .

“It's a private conversation taken out of context”

Given the commotion generated by his statements, Bautista himself wanted to issue a statement in which he qualified his words. For your interest we reproduce in full the text of said statement:

“I want to apologize to all the people who have been offended by the video that has been published about me recently.

This is a private conversation taken out of context, which has unfortunately been disseminated to the media without my awareness or my consent.

Both my coach and I are following the protocols designed by the Australian Government and Tennis Australia to avoid any contagion and guarantee to return to compete with maximum safety. These are hard times for athletes and for society in general.

I thank all the people who are making racing again possible. As well as all those who fight against Covid-19 on a daily basis. The management that has been made in Australia to prevent the spread of the virus is admirable. “