The Australian Open will start three weeks later than planned. It will not be from January 18 to 31, but from February 8 to 21. This was communicated by Craig Tiley, tournament director, to the players in a letter that The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald have had access to. The details are polished with ATP and WTA and could meet with opposition from the players, but the Australian government has been firm in its intention to preserve the country free of coronavirus. Today, in the entire territory there were only 52 cases with 21 hospitalized. Australia closed its borders and Melbourne, host of the tournament, has endured one of the longest and hardest confinements the world so the virus has almost disappeared.
The measures that Tennis Australia will impose, according to the Victorian state government, they will be very strict.
– Travels. Tennis players will have to enter the country between January 15 and 17. In the absence of regular lines, charter flights will be available from different parts of the world and the tournament will pay for accommodation (in bubble hotels) and meals. The quarantine will last until the 31st, even for the first to arrive.
– Test. Upon arrival, they will undergo a PCR test and if it is negative they will only be able to leave on the second day. They will be repeated on days 3, 7, 10 and 14 of the quarantine. Once it passes, they can move freely.
– Quarantine. They will only be able to spend five hours outside the hotel room: two to train on the court, two in the gym and one to eat at the Melbourne Park and Albert Reserve Tennis Center facilities.
– Training. Couples of two players and two companions will be formed who will practice together on days two to seven. If any test positive, all must isolate themselves in their room for 14 days. From there, groups of four will form.
– Previous tournaments. After the quarantine, the week of February 1 to 7 would be free, in which some ATP and WTA tournaments could be scheduled. “A start date of February 1 would not have allowed any game (the health authorities discard them inside the bubble) and it would also have been unfair with the players who could be infected during the quarantine, since it would have ruled them out of the Open,” he says Tiley in his letter to the players.