Australian Open: Paula Badosa sulking over hotel quarantine treatment

Paula Badosa, the first player to test positive for the virus upon arrival in Australia, is complaining about the ‘lamentable’ conditions in her hotel.

Ajla Tomljanovic is looking forward to this year’s Australian Open. Picture: Michael Reaves

Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa says she feels “abandoned” by officials during her extended period of quarantine ahead of the Australian Open after testing positive to coronavirus.

Badosa, ranked 67 in the world, was the first player to test positive for the virus upon arrival in Australia ahead of the tournament and cannot leave her hotel room until January 31.

But if she is found to have been infected with the new strain of coronavirus, Badosa will only return to training on February 5, which the Spaniard believes will be too late to regain her fitness.

Paula Badosa says she feels ‘abandoned’ in hotel quarantine. Picture: AAP Image/Hamish Blair

She railed against her treatment in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca on Monday and said conditions in her hotel were “lamentable” and the entire period was the worst in her career.

Badosa’s complaints come in the wake of one coach, Edward Elliott, the first person to record a positive coronavirus test among the Australian Open’s charter flight crew, being released from quarantine.

Paula Badosa has revealed that she’s now tested positive on Day 7 of quarantine and does have symptoms... so naturally, she’s deleted this tweet 🙄 #AustralianOpen

Hope she recovers, and every complaining player now understands the basics of self-isolating and hard quarantine. https://t.co/qfvBE8B8NN

— Danielle Binks (@danielle_binks) January 21, 2021

“I feel abandoned because I don’t have training equipment which I requested five days ago, I haven’t been told which type of the virus I have, I’ve had no information from the tournament,” Badosa told Marca.

“It’s far and away the worst experience of my career.

“The conditions here are lamentable, I wasn’t expecting that. The number one thing people recommend when you have the virus is to open the windows to let in air, but I don’t have windows in my hotel room and it’s barely 15 metres square.

“I have lost a lot of my fitness levels, especially my strength. If I can come out on January 31 I’ll have a week to get in shape. If it’s February 5 it’ll be impossible to recover in time (for the tournament),” Badosa said.

Badosa said she had been suffering from anxiety and claustrophobia and had been using water bottles as weights to try to stay in shape.

The 23-year-old added that the room, which she is sharing with coach Javier Marti, was not suitable for an elite athlete.

The Spaniard arrived in Melbourne after playing in Abu Dhabi earlier this month and was on her seventh day in quarantine when her test came back positive.

Seventy-two players have been confined to hotel rooms for two weeks after passengers on three charter flights taking them to Australia tested positive.

Australia’s Ash Barty, with Geelong legend Ian Nankervis, had the honour of presenting Richmond with the 2020 premiership cup. Picture: Michael Willson

HOW BARTY’S BEER CELEBRATION INSPIRED AUSSIE NO. 2

Australia’s No. 2 female player’s most lasting memory of Ash Barty last year was her cheering on Richmond — beer in hand — from the Gabba stands in the AFL finals series.

Ajla Tomljanovic, like many of the world’s tennis stars, was roughly 16,500km away in the French Open’s quarantine bubble at the time.

Her fellow Queenslander and world No. 1 Barty opted not to risk travelling at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was just so funny to see her. While we were all in a bubble, she was doing that — and it’s just so her,” Tomljanovic told the Herald Sun.

“Sometimes I wonder if she even knows how great she’s doing. She kind of thinks it’s ‘whatever’.

“I mean, she probably doesn’t, but it looks like that on the outside.

“The way she’s approaching the sport right now is really helping her and it’s something we can all kind of learn from a little bit.”

Ajla Tomljanovic is hoping to improve on her Grand Slam record at this year’s Australian Open. Picture: Michael Klein

Croatian-born Tomljanovic switched allegiances to Australia in mid-2014, has since represented her adopted country in Fed Cup and hopes to enjoy her best results while at home.

The 27-year-old’s aggressive style has seen her beat many big names, including Kiki Bertens, Aryna Sabalenka, Johanna Konta, Yulia Putintseva and Daria Kasatkina, and be ranked as high as No. 39.

However, she hasn’t advanced beyond round two at a grand slam since making the last 16 at the 2014 French Open — something she’s keen to change.

Tomljanovic upset 31st seed Anastasija Sevastova in the first round at last year’s Australian Open, only to run into eventual finalist Garbine Muguruza in her next match.

“It’s always in the back of my mind,” she said of her grand slam record.

“I do feel a couple of times I was close and didn’t have the best of luck with some draws, like last year I felt like I was playing really well and beat a seed, then played Muguruza, which was a little unlucky.

“But I do believe that your luck does turn around, as long as I’m doing the right things and pushing through it.”

Tomljanovic is in hotel quarantine and training with Croatia’s Donna Vekic, but doesn’t feel the situation has disadvantaged her much at all to her fellow Australians.

“I think I can put in a really good preparation, where I’m feeling at 100 per cent,” the world No. 69 said.

“My goal is always just to improve. I definitely would love to have a career-high (ranking) this season.”