Australian Open 2021: Why lead-in events to Grand Slam could be delayed

As players struggle with hard quarantine, Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has conceded some tournament events could be reduced in size and delayed.

Australian Open lead-in events could be pushed back two days as part of Tennis Australia’s plan to reduce the disadvantage for players in hard quarantine.

Tournament director Craig Tiley revealed the Melbourne Park events before the grand slam may be reduced in size and delayed until Tuesday, February 2 before finishing on the Sunday.

The Open will start the next day, February 8, and Tiley was emphatic the date won’t change and the two-week duration will remain.

Watch the ATP 250 World Tour exclusive on Fox Sports with Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

They expect some players who were on charter flights with positive COVID cases, who won’t practice on court for 14 days, to skip the warm-up tournaments.

However, Tiley said TA may create more match-play opportunities.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley. Picture: Michael Klein

“I’m not too sure what the extent of the advantage will be – we’ll have to wait and see – but it’s certainly an advantage (for players who train during this fortnight),” he said.

“I used to coach and I know high-performing athletes getting prepared takes a couple of weeks at least and longer to get to the maximum preparedness.”

The news comes on the same day Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut took aim at government health authorities about the quarantine conditions.

“It’s like to be in the jail,” the world No.13 said.

“It’s the same, (just) with Wi-Fi. These people have no idea about tennis, about practice courts – no idea about anything.

“It’s completely disaster, because the control of everything is not Tennis Australia. It’s the people from the government. I cannot imagine staying two weeks like this.”

Roberto Bautista Agut has launched an extraordinary tirade over his quarantine. Picture: AAP

‘WE’RE A GRAND SLAM’: OPEN BOSS REJECTS PUSH FOR SHORTER GAMES

All passengers on the Open’s charter flights had to test negative, or be ticked off as non-infectious, in the 72 hours before departing for Melbourne and Adelaide.

They were also tested after landing and forced into isolation until the result came back, and will be tested daily throughout quarantine.

Anyone who tested positive was transferred to a health hotel, while close contacts on the same flight will spend at least 14 days in hard quarantine.

Those on flights without a negative case have a daily five-hour allocation to train on court (two hours), in the gym (90 minutes) and eat on site (one).

COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria staff patrol the training bubbles at Melbourne Park and Albert Reserve, which are exclusive to quarantined Australian Open competitors.

Australian players who aren’t in quarantine, such as world No.1 Ash Barty and US Open quarter-finalist John Millman, are hitting at Xavier College and Kooyong.

Australian Open organisers are sticking to a five-set men’s tournament, despite a push from quarantined players to reduce the length of matches.

The Herald Sun revealed on Monday that players were discussing the idea of a best-of-three-sets structure amid concerns that battling through five sets would be “brutal” due to their hindered preparations.

But tournament director Craig Tiley on Tuesday said: “We’re a Grand Slam at the end of the day and right now, three out of five sets for the men and two out of three sets for the women is the position we plan on sticking to”.

About 500 players joined a phone hook up with tournament organisers on Monday night, following widespread public backlash to their complaints about tough quarantine measures.

More than 70 players are in hard lockdown – unable to leave their rooms to train – after flying into Melbourne on a charter flight with a confirmed COVID case.

Mr Tiley told Channel 9 that a “buffer week” had been scheduled between the end of the players’ quarantine and the start of the Grand Slam, allowing them extra time for training and preparation.

He said they could also “be creative” between drawers and beds in the hotel rooms to help keep fit.

Mr Tiley said most players “had been really good” dealing with the two-week quarantine.

“The reports we are reading, the things we are seeing don’t represent the entire playing group,” Mr Tiley said.

“For the most part, they have been really good.

Exclusive: world number 13 @BautistaAgut rips the authorities in Australia ahead of AUSTRALIAN OPEN. "It's like a jail here" pic.twitter.com/PWwQL7ngES

— Sport5 (@sport5il) January 18, 2021

“We are now in a position where they are in lockdown, designed to protect the community. Everyone has to do it and they’re getting used to it.

“They haven’t had to do a lockdown like they’ve had (in Australia). These are high-performing athletes and it’s hard to keep a high-performing athlete in a room.”

Japan’s Taro Daniel, who is set to compete at Melbourne Park as a ‘lucky loser’, wasn’t the instigator of the idea but wanted Tiley to give it serious thought.

The world No. 117, who boasts a career-high ranking of 64, has only a foam roller at this stage for fitness purposes – and understands equipment like exercise bikes are going to be at a premium.

“A few players came up with the idea to bring it down to three sets this time, which I think would make a lot of sense,” Daniel told the Herald Sun.

“Because even for guys who are able to train these two weeks, it’s not optimal training.

Japan’s Taro Daniel says best-of-three-sets will help close the chasm between the elite and the rest. Picture: AAP

You’re limited to two hours a day and one hour of gym – so five sets would be pretty brutal this time.

“I think Craig’s aware of it and I’m sure he’s thought of it himself, but then obviously there’s the whole historical, five-set thing they need to break down.

“I have no idea if they’ll be able to do it or not, but I think perhaps they should.”

Daniel said the coronavirus crisis was exacerbating the chasm between the game’s elite and the rest, pointing to the comparative luxuries of the players quarantining in Adelaide.

Novak Djokovic has been blasted for his list of lockdown demands. Picture: AFP

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Serena and Venus Williams are in South Australia for the exhibition event on January 29.

“People in Adelaide are being able to hit with four people on court, so there’s some resentment towards that as well,” the 27-year-old said.

“Tennis always has these very unfair treatments towards top players and lower players, especially during grand slams.

“The court time they get to hit usually is completely different … which I think, to a certain extent, they deserve, but especially during a crisis like this it gets even bigger.”

Watching news vision from afar of citizens being arrested for not wearing a mask meant Daniel was more prepared than other players for the strict protocols.

That’s why Daniel has few expectations of TA or the Victorian Government giving the green light to a ‘bubble within a bubble’, where hard quarantined players who tested negative could train together.

He is so far staying positive about his predicament, but fears he won’t be as upbeat towards the latter end of his quarantine period.

“All the players are kind of in it together, so for now I’m doing well,” Daniel said.

“I’m a little bit more worried for a week from now, when there are four or five days left and the nerves for the tournament start coming in.”