Australian Open 2021 will go ahead as planned despite COVID scare

The Australian Open will proceed as planned despite a COVID scare forcing 600 players to isolate. CEO Craig Tiley has outlined what the coming days will look like.

Tennis Australia is adamant the Australian Open will start on Monday despite the tournament being thrown into covid chaos.

TA boss Craig Tilley said he was “absolutely confident” the latest COVID-19 scare with a hotel quarantine worker testing positive wouldn’t shut down the grand slam tournament.

He said warm-up matches would resume on Friday pending the completion of testing of the 160 players who were staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

“We are absolutely confident that the Australian Open is going to go ahead,” Tilley said.

“The probability is very low that there is going to be any issue, we fully expect them all to test negative and we continue with play tomorrow as originally planned.

“They are considered casual contacts and we have been advised that there is a really low probability that any of them would test positive.”

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley speaks to the media on Thursday.

Play was abandoned on Thursday with 507 players, officials and staff who were linked to the hotel told to isolate and get tested.

Tilley said the prospect of rain on Friday could potentially cause further problems but there were 11 indoor courts that could be utilised at Melbourne Park.

He said shortened matches across the six warm-up tournaments was an option that would be discussed.

“As far as tennis goes we are planning to continue with matches tomorrow,” he said.

“Those that were not at that hotel are able to come on site, practice, receive treatment and will continue with normal preparation later today

“We have three days to fit this all in, we have many options including formats on scoring and the number of courts we can use but we’ll work closely with the WTA and ATP to get a schedule out by 6pm.”

World No.1 Ash Barty had been scheduled to play at 11am while fellow Aussie Nick Kyrgios was also set to play his third-round match this afternoon.

Am I playing tomorrow?

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) February 3, 2021

The Herald Sun understands Tennis Australia coach and former player Peter Luczak, Matt Ebden and Blake Mott were the only Australians who stayed at the Grand Hyatt.

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, Stan Wawrinka, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands were among international players to have stayed at the hotel during their 14 quarantine.

Tiley praised the players for their willingness to accept the situation.

“Some have many 14 days in medi-hotels, some have been longer. Some took longer to get used to it. But the majority have been so fantastic,” he said.

“We’ve had so many comments and they’ve come out and accept and appreciate what Melburnians have been through.

Nightmare scenario for the @AustralianOpen officials & player’s today. Fingers crossed we can trace the infected worker & get all the players back on court. I can’t imagine the lack of sleep for both @CraigTiley & the tournament doctor @carolyn_brod ...hang in there everyone ❤️

— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) February 3, 2021

“When we made the calls last night and this morning, they completely accepted it. We’re two-thirds of the way through testing. We will finish the testing by 5pm this afternoon.

“They will isolate until we get the results. They’re appreciative of the opportunity to play”.

The Australian Open draw was initially scheduled to take place at 6pm Thursday but will now be delayed until mid-afternoon Friday.

Tiley was hesitant to comment on when a full schedule would be confirmed given the logistics regarding which half of the draw would go first.

“It will be a smaller version to what we’ve done before, because the focus is obviously to get the draw done and get it out there so everyone can start planning on what they’re doing on Monday and who they’re watching,” he said.

“We’ll make the decisions on which half will play where by Saturday, because we’ve got to get through quite a few matches tomorrow.

“Even if the weather is bad, which I think the forecast is not great, we do have the indoor courts, we’ll be able to continue with play. That schedule will come out later today.”

✔ Covid test done, now isolate until negative test result 🤐🙌 @SevenFriday @SEVENFRIDAYaus#melbourne #australia #atptour #ausopen #AO21 #tennis #covid #covid19 #watch #watches #sevenfriday pic.twitter.com/t9DVXktcyj

— Matt Ebden (@mattebden) February 3, 2021

Amid concerns among the community, Tiley added that for now, crowd numbers (30,000 per day) would remain the same but the expectation is for all fans attending to wear a mask.

“Even prior to this conversation, we want fans, wherever they go, to always carry a mask,” he said.

“And the current guidelines are when you’re outside and you can physically distance, you don’t need to wear a mask.

“When you go inside, you put on the mask, and even with the new ruling that the Premier gave last night.

“So, our team, our staff and our fans will be wearing a mask indoors.”

Late on Wednesday night, Tennis Australia released the following statement detailing halting of play.

“Health Authorities have advised us that a hotel quarantine worker has tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement read.

Nick Kyrgios adjusting his face mask as he speaks at a press conference. Picture: AFP

“Those associated with the Australian Open who quarantined at the hotel now need to be tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result.

“We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible.

“There will be no matches at Melbourne Park on Thursday, 4 February, 2021. An update on the schedule for Friday will be announced later today.”

Premier Dan Andrews said: “There is a number of about 500, 600 people who are players and officials and others who are casual contacts.

“They will be isolating until they get a negative test and that work will be done tomorrow.”

But with test results generally returned within 24 hours, he said he did not expect the precautionary move to affect Monday’s scheduled start of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

“At this stage, there’s no impact to the tournament proper,” Mr Andrews told reporters.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien has urged the Victorian Government to make a call on whether to cancel the Australian Open within 48 hours with concerns the event cannot be guaranteed to go ahead.

I'm a big tennis fan and I can't wait till things get back to normal but holding a grand slam in the middle of a global pandemic is irresponsible. Sports are important and loads of people enjoy it but at the and of the day it's simply entertainment. Safety first!#AusOpen #AO2021

— Savino (@SavinoHunnego) February 3, 2021

So, is the #AusOpen draw still happening tomorrow 6pm local?

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 3, 2021

if the @AustralianOpen is scrapped/cancelled due to corona then it will be the first major indication of which way the Tokyo Olympics will go. #AusOpen #Olympics #Tokyo2020 #Japan #Corona

— Karolos Grohmann (@karolosgrohmann) February 3, 2021

“We don’t want to see a situation as we did with the Grand Prix, where crowds were literally turning up, only to be turned away,” he said.

“I think people are entitled to know what’s happening, and the government should be making their minds up in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

The six preparatory tournaments are currently being held at Melbourne Park to get players match fit after their fortnight in quarantine.

While most players were allowed out to train for five-hour blocks during their lockdown, 72 were confined to their hotel rooms 24 hours a day after eight positive COVID-19 cases were detected on the charter flights that brought them to Australia.

Ash Barty’s match has been postponed. Picture: Michael Klein

HOW THE HAPPY SLAM WAS ALMOST THE SNAPPY SLAM

JOE BARTON

The Happy Slam could so easily have become the Snappy Slam.

Thursday’s stunning COVID-19 scare, which immediately sent 507 players and their entourages into another urgent round of isolation, had the potential to blow up the Australian Open’s reputation as the fun and popular start to the tennis calendar.

For two weeks the world’s best tennis players fumed, privately and publicly, about the conditions they were being forced into in order to play in the first grand slam of the year.

But as news broke late on Wednesday of a positive test, linked to the tournament’s quarantine hotel and which threatened to send the tennis world into another tailspin, the only message emanating from players was “we’ll do whatever it takes” according to Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley.

The Instagram page of American bad boy Tennys Sandgren was noticeably quieter than it has been in recent weeks, where he’s used the platform to mock Tiley and Tennis Australia.

Instead, players swung into action in the early hours on Thursday – lining up for testing and returning for another day of isolation as they awaited results, forgoing a day of practice and match play which they so desperately crave three days out from the Open.

Even Tennys Sandgren has kept quiet. Picture: Getty Images

“I’ve found the players to be remarkable – they’ve been in 14 days of quarantine, some of them longer, and they took a little while to get used to that as we all know, (with) some of the comments), but the majority of the players have been fantastic,” Tiley said as he confirmed the Open would go ahead as planned from Monday.

“We’ve had so many compliments when they’ve come out and said things to us that they’ve accepted and appreciated what the Melburnians have gone through. And now we’re in a position where, when we made the calls last night and this morning they completely accepted it.

“They’ve been really good and are very appreciative of the opportunity to play.”

Even Spanish star Paula Badosa – the only player to have returned a positive test in Melbourne and who described the experience as “by far and away the worst of my career” – only had upbeat comments to add, after finally being released from her 21-day lockdown.

The 23-year-old took to social media to boast about a midnight practice session after escaping from her hotel room for the first time since arriving in Australia last month.

Paula Badosa tested positive for COVID. Picture: Getty Images

“The feedback we’re getting from them besides the fact they’re very supportive of what we’re doing and have come to accept that now when they travel around the world… the environment’s different and anything can happen,” Tiley added.

“Every day you wake up and it could be different. I think they’ve got used to that.

“They’ve been great. Their full intention is they’re here for the Australian Open and I had a number of calls late last night and in the early hours of this morning also confirming that ‘we want this to happen, we’ll do whatever to make it happen’.”

YASTREMSKA FAILS TO HAVE SUSPENSION LIFTED

– Marc McGowan

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska has vowed to keep fighting her doping ban despite again failing to have her provisional suspension lifted.

However, the 20-year-old’s hopes of playing in next week’s Australian Open are now over.

The International Tennis Federation announced overnight the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had dismissed Yastremska’s appeal of an independent tribunal’s decision to deny her appeal application.

Her provisional suspension was imposed on January 7.

Dayana Yastremska has vowed to keep fighting her doping ban. Picture: Getty Images

The world No.29 travelled to Melbourne and was on one of the charter flights where there was a positive COVID-19 case, so she wasn’t able to leave her hotel room during her quarantine period.

“I sadly acknowledge the decision of the CAS to dismiss the expedited appeal to lift my provisional suspension,” Yastremska posted on social media.

“I would like to underline that the decisions taken by the ITF Independent Tribunal and the CAS are only related to the provisional suspension.

“Now comes the time to defend myself about the matter of the dispute.

“My team and I are confident in our ability to prove my innocence as the ITF Independent Tribunal will hear from me, witnesses and experts.”

Statement about the CAS decision: pic.twitter.com/SYi2GiJBC6

— Dayana Yastremska (@D_Yastremska) February 3, 2021

Yastremska revealed she would recompense Tennis Australia of all her flight, accommodation and related expenses.

“I know my presence in Australia has raised some concerns,” she wrote.

“The urgent procedure with the ITF Independent Tribunal and the CAS could have lifted my provisional suspension which would have enabled me to compete at the Australian Open.

“That’s the reason why I was allowed to travel there.

“I can’t express my disappointment (enough) about not taking part in the first slam of the year.

“I am thankful to the authorities for the conditions they have set for the players in such challenging times.

“Thus, I intend to return all the expenses engaged by Tennis Australia on my behalf.

“I remain determined to demonstrate my innocence and clear my name. I wish to thank all my fans for their support.”

— with AFP

Originally published as Australian Open 2021 will go ahead as planned despite COVID scare