Australia, vaccines and tennis

Tennis has been one of the sports that has been most burdened by the pandemic. Its status as an itinerant and global sport caused many logistical problems. In many cases they were saved with quarantines or bubbles. The first option was used by the Australian Open. The decision did not quite convince anyone. The players reluctantly accepted it and the population of the country did not quite see with good eyes that the tournament would be held if the health situation was not safe. Finally, the sporting event took place and there were no major complications.

The headache comes now, since the tennis players do not want a new quarantine to enter the country. From the organization they are studying routes, like a bubble that only allowed players to go from Melbourne and Olympic Park to the hotel. The option would be quite limiting for athletes, but it would be better. While they devise that plan, a news has arrived that can blow up everything.

As reported by Reuters, the government of the state of Victoria (where Melbourne is located) will force all athletes to take a COVID vacation if they want to compete there. If it is an immovable law, it would be a problem, since the percentage of vaccinated among the best in the ATP and WTA circuit is not very high. There might be a possibility that the Australian government would grant some special permission. Movements will have to be expected, but the situation is getting more complex for the organizers of the Australian Open (February 8-21).