Players raise concerns about COVID-19 protocols in Aus Open lead-in event

New concerns for the Australian Open following positive tests from players during qualifying.

Bernard Tomic congratulates Denis Kudla after an Australian Open qualifying match in Melbourne last year. Both men were winners in Doha on Monday, but the American has tested positive to coronavirus Picture: Michael Klein

A COVID-19 scare has ensnared two players in the Australian Open qualifying event being held in Doha with concerns raised about potential cross-contamination at an official hotel.

Denis Kudla was on the verge of winning his opening match when informed he had tested positive to coronavirus, but was able to close out the victory.

The American is the second player forced to withdraw from the event due to a positive test, with Kudla now joining Francisco Cerundolo in hotel quarantine for the next 10 days.

But Australian officials remain confident the health protocols will be sufficient when more than 1200 players and staff arrive in Australia later this week to begin two weeks of quarantine in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville noted the quarantine regulations are far tougher than in the Middle East or any other event to have been held since the tour resumption last August.

“We have put in place the strongest, the strictest rules that apply for tennis across the world,” she said.

“I mean there are bubbles that are operating in Doha at the moment, but this is the strictest program in the world in terms of hotel quarantining for our tennis players.”

Players must take a COVID-19 test before they board their flight to Melbourne, with any positive cases quarantined with their close contacts in a “health hotel”.

They will need six clean tests over a fortnight to play in the opening week of events beginning February 1. The Australian Open starts a week later.

The concern is that Kudla, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon in 2015, was able to play in qualifying before the results of his coronavirus test were available.

Players were told there would be an eight to 14-hour turnaround when it comes to knowing the results of tests.

Some have complained the delays are far longer and have caused stress and, in the case of Kudla at the very least, a competitor playing when positive.

Moroccan Elliot Benchetrit brought his rival’s positive test to light when highlighting the bizarre circumstances of the case in a social media post after his 6-4 6-3 loss.

In an interview with specialist tennis news website TennisMajors, Benchetrit said the lapse placed others at risk.

“The concept of a test is to have the information beforehand so as not to endanger the linesman, the opponent or simply every person the player may meet before or after his match,” he said.

Denis Kudla hits a return to plays Elliot Benchetrit during Australian Open qualifying at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha Picture: Samer Alrejjal / Tennis Australia

He said players in the men’s event believed staff members at the local hotel were using the service lifts meant to be reserved for competitors, which increased the prospect of contracting the virus.

UNSW health policy consultant Professor Bill Bowtell said “it makes no public health sense to allow in 1,000 plus players and staff for the Australian Open”.

As it stands, Kudla has been withdrawn from the qualifying tournament and will now spend the following ten days in isolation in Doha.

There is a silver lining in the American’s misfortune for Dane Sweeny, who was one of seven Australian victors in qualifying on Tuesday. He has received a walkover into the final round of the event.

American John Isner is the latest player to withdrawal from the Australian Open due to the strict qualifying rules, stating on Tuesday he did not want to leave his family for an extended period of time.

His absence brings Australian Alexei Popyrin to within four spots of earning direct entry into the main draw.