Australian Open 2021: Tennis players complaining in lockdown are insulting our sacrifices

Sam Groth issues a reality check to Novak Djokovic and all the other whining tennis stars who aren’t happy dealing with COVID quarantine.

Memo to all the tennis stars complaining from their hotel suites; stop your moaning.

You are getting no sympathy from anyone in this country given what we have been through this year. None at all.

Sure, these are not ideal situations to be in ahead of a grand slam. But this is what you’ve got.

I have played a lot of grand slams. I know first-hand what it is like to prepare for one and the stress that goes with it. Anxiety is high and you’re on edge preparing for the biggest stage in your sport. There’s a lot on the line.

Sure, it’s not ideal preparation to be in lockdown – full or partial. It’s not ideal to be stuck in a room, it’s not ideal the food sucks, it’s not ideal you can’t train as you normally would.

None of this is ideal but after almost a year without any play or income, you’ve come to Melbourne and, if you’re a singles player, you’re getting a guaranteed $100k – that’s a lot of money.

Perhaps it’s time these players got a little perspective.

No one foresaw how this pandemic would impact the world

This virus is killing thousands of people daily, people are losing their homes, their jobs and not seeing their families.

Novak Djokovic is in Adelaide but has called for eased restrictions

Players have been granted an exemption and an opportunity to earn huge money, yet they’re complaining. Public backlash is hardly a surprise is it?

Like every other Melburnian I spent months and months last year sat at home unable to travel more than 5kms, only allowed out for an hour a day, unable to see loved ones or go about my normal life.

And like thousands of others I spent almost a year with little to no work and therefore no income.

We have all been through hell and these players are complaining about their situations? It’s completely tone deaf.

I want to see this Australian Open happen and for everyone to be wowed by an incredible and safe tournament, but I don’t want us to give players whatever they are demanding at the expense of Victorians and community safety.

Grothy is hopeful the Australian Open will go ahead.

I know there are plenty of people that don’t want this tournament to go ahead and I understand their apprehensions. The players need to be far more sensitive to local sentiment instead of their own.

By nature tennis players are a little selfish and there is certainly a sense of entitlement but we are living in a different world to this time last year.

This tournament was never going to be the same.

Novak Djokovic partying during coronavirus which led to an outbreak

I was relieved to see at least one player apologise for lashing out at organisers.

Alize Cornet lashed out on arrival but has (clearly) since been briefed on just how much we have been through. Others would do well to follow suit.

And as for Novak Djokovic and his list of demands. Is he serious?

It’s a selfish political move to gain popularity, and, given his behaviour at the Adria Tour – where he and several other players contracted and spread the virus – he’s the last person anyone is going to take COVID advice from.

To suggest players should have shorter quarantine is not only ridiculous, it’s insulting to Australians who have had to endure it.

What did he think would happen? That Dan Andrews would say ‘yeah, sure, Novak anything you want’? Spare me.

Our national borders are not open, as a country we are closed.

Our own citizens have to spend 14 days in a hotel when they come back – self-funded. These players have entry exemptions, chartered flights, nice hotels, food on demand and they are not parting with a dollar.

Reality check, please.

Alize Cornet has backtracked on her complaints

If players reckon this wasn’t what they signed up for maybe they should have been on pre-tournament calls with Tennis Australia because the rules were made abundantly clear.

I’ve been told that some of these calls have had just 40 people on them – yet we have over 1200 people flying in? If they’re not fully briefed because they haven’t made the effort then whose fault is that?

Some players have decided not to compete in this grand slam because the strict rules would take them away from family for too long – and that’s totally understandable. But clearly the rules have been available.

Some of the complaining players come from countries registering 10, 20 or 30 thousand new cases a day – some even more.

I’m sorry if they have not had such strict rules back home, but Melburnians and Australians have done the hard yards to keep local transmissions low, and we are not going to forget about that in a hurry.

This is Australia and if you’re coming here, you play by the rules in place.

Originally published as Australian Open 2021: Tennis players complaining in lockdown are insulting our sacrifices