Rod Laver Arena unlikely to have Rod Laver in it for Australian Open

Tennis legend Rod Laver watches from his seat in the front row of Rod Laver Arena

The dear and beloved old thing sits in the prime seat during matches, taking drinks and snacks from the blue Esky at his feet, meeting and greeting anyone lucky enough to jag a chair in his private box while trying with all his might to stay awake when the evening session drags on towards midnight … but Rod Laver seems certain to be missing from the arena that bears his name at next month’s Australian Open.

How sad. His presence is golden. He’s made Roger Federer weep. He’s turned Rafael Nadal speechless. He’s made Serena Williams curtsy and swoon. That’s no mean feat. Ash Barty has told him more than once, thanks for watching. His seat is front row, right behind the baseline, the seat money can’t buy. Players get a buzz when they realise the legend among all legends has parked himself courtside for one of their matches. It’s a seal of approval.

Laver in Rod Laver Arena every year has the familiarity of witnessing grandpa sitting in his favourite reading chair at home every Christmas, but it seems implausible for the 82-year-old, now based at Carlsbad, California, to travel to Melbourne because of the strict quarantine and travel restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Like the players, Laver would have to arrive two weeks early to quarantine before the two-week tournament. That’s a long and laborious month.

One of my favourite Open memories is of Laver wandering into the player cafeteria a few hours before the 2017 final between Federer and Nadal. Federer noticed a sheepish Laver was unsure if he should approach him or not. Federer beamed and waved him over. Rod! Take a seat! Please! They chatted away for a good while over a cuppa. Laver looked positively chuffed. Federer looked chuffed that Laver was so chuffed before excusing himself to go beat Nadal as Laver watched.

Now they’re both expected to be unavailable. When Federer revealed he would miss the Open because of injury, Laver tweeted: “Like many across the world I was extremely sorry to hear @rogerfederer can‘t play the Australian Open in 2021 after 21 straight years and six titles at RLA. I look forward to his injury-free return and seeing him at his best during the year. A happier new year to all!”

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios’s slide behind countrymen Alex de Minaur and John Millman on the world rankings is behind his omission from Australia’s team for the ATP Cup. The on-court wild thing with the increasingly curious off-court sensitivities of a more mild thing will play a regular tour singles event in his only competitive hit before the Australian Open. He could wreak some havoc at Melbourne Park if his unreliable body is strong and his wandering mind is centred on a job he hasn’t pulled a shift in for nearly a year.

After years of living dangerously, Kyrgios is coming off a year of doing nothing. He was sensational in last year’s ATP Cup. He gave his little mate de Minaur a fireman’s carry when they won a marathon doubles tie-breaker in the quarter-final against Great Britain, sledging Dan Evans like he was at third slip in an Edgbaston Test and roaring at a capacity crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena: “How good! How good!”

He went on to have a whale of an Australian Open, triggering substantial bushfire fundraising efforts, endearingly crying like a baby over the death of Kobe Bryant and giving his salty old mate Nadal a run for his money in the fourth round.

He jetted off to Acapulco to defend a title he had won in a manner that Hunter S. Thompson would have tipped his cap to, burning the candle at both ends in a series of truly intoxicating performances. But he withdrew after losing the opening set of his first-round match against Frenchman Ugo Humbert – and he hasn’t played since, content in his new-found roles of moral guardian and voice of reason in men’s tennis.

The mind boggled at the possible causes of his absence from the Australian squad, given he’d rather play team tennis than singles tennis, and given that he’d kissed and made up with captain Lleyton Hewitt, and given his man crush on de Minaur was ongoing, and given his mateship with Millman was genuine, and given that match play was what he desperately needed. Maybe he hated tennis again?

The truth was less spectacular: he simply failed to be ranked high enough for singles selection. For every nation, the top two players get the spots. De Minaur is the world number 23. Millman, after his breakthrough ATP Tour tournament triumph in the glorious nation of Kazakhstan – very nice! – has snuck up to number 38, five places ahead of Kyrgios. He will be listed next week in the ATP Tour’s singles event to be staged in the same week as the ATP Cup at Melbourne Park … the week before the Australian Open gets under way on February 8.

De Minaur and Millman will be joined by doubles specialists John Peers and Luke Saville, the latter reaching last year’s Australian Open doubles final in his biggest claim to fame since becoming Daria Gavrilova’s flame.