American champion says Grand Hyatt quarantine crew concerned by positive

Jim Courier is among the more than 500 players and officials staying at the Grand Hyatt awaiting the results of COVID-19 tests.

Dual-Australian Open champion Jim Courier talks with Nick Kyrgios

American champion Jim Courier has described the COVID-19 situation that has flared in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open as worrisome after a couple of “wild and woolly weeks”.

The former world No 1 served quarantine in the Grand Hyatt Hotel and is among the more than 500 people who are undergoing tests on Thursday while in isolation.

The dual-Australian Open champion told The Tennis Channel the time frame surrounding the hotel guard’s positive test was a clear concern.

Many of those serving quarantine at the Grand Hyatt had completed their 14-day stint by January 29, which was the last shift the security officer worked at the hotel before testing positive to the virus on January 3.

“It has been a wild and woolly couple of weeks down here already with one player testing positive, as we know, and several other people testing positive,” he said.

“What is really interesting and somewhat troublesome is that this hotel worker tested positive after we had all left and over a week since the last person within our group had tested positive for COVID.

“That is a long transmission period which gives me great concern, great pause, that if this person’s positive test comes back, once they do the genomic strain testing, if it comes back as the UK-variant which seems to have a longer tail in terms of infection, that we might have some real problems going forward.”

Courier, who is now an accomplished broadcaster and former US Davis Cup coach, said the next 24 hours will be a stressful time for those involved.

“Fingers crossed, first and foremost, that this hotel worker rebounds quickly and is healthy and safe,” he told the American-based network.

“But we have seen that the government here takes it extremely seriously and have done an amazing job of containing the virus and they act quickly and authoritatively and they will not take chances.

“Today is a day of real concern for Craig Tiley and his team at Tennis Australia. I think we all thought that we were past the risk zone, but that has reopened that zone for us.

“The next 24 hours are going to be really important for us as all of us who stayed at the Hyatt go and get tested. It is certainly worrisome and we will hope for the best.”

Courier said players and officials were “on our scouts honour” not to leave their rooms while isolating.

He said that players have been told that if they are negative, they will be able to resume training and playing as normal. Tennis Australia is understood to be planning to continue all six lead-in events as normal from Friday.

“One thing to keep in mind is that Tennis Australia is not in control,” he said.

“This is all about the justice department of the Victorian State Government here in Melbourne.

“They are the ones who dictate and mandate to Tennis Australia and everyone here what you can and can’t do.”

The four-time major champion said it was crucial for those who were locked in strict quarantine after arriving from Los Angeles to get their heads around the latest setback.

“That is going to be a challenge for them because they are behind the eight-ball … and have already spent a lot of mental energy trying to get in the right frame of mind, I would imagine,” he said.

“In talking to some of the players I know, they certainly feel like have red-lined mentally and didn’t have a lot left and were hoping to regain that before the big challenge ahead, which is the Australian Open starting next week. It is going to be a very tough, stern mental test for these players to keep it all together, because they are just getting curveballs.”