Tennis considers Open houses for luxury isolation

Some of the world’s leading players travelling to Australia for the summer of tennis could quarantine in security-­patrolled luxury private residences.

Novak Djokovic walks off the court after being defaulted due to inadvertently striking a lineswoman with a ball. Picture: Getty Images

Some of the world’s leading players travelling to Australia for the summer of tennis could quarantine in security-­patrolled luxury private residences.

That is one of several options being considered by Australian Open organisers and one favoured by Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic for the recently completed US Open.

Tennis officials, who have engaged Aspen Medical to provide a comprehensive blueprint on sec­urity protocols, are planning for more than 2000 players, coaches and broadcasters to arrive in Australia for a long stint from early December onwards.

In New York, most players stayed in two hotels, but various arrangements are being considered for Australia, including accommodating participants in resorts, a model being used by the AFL in Queensland.

Craig Tiley addresses media at the Australian Open in January. Picture: AAP

All players will need to abide by biosecurity guidelines being considered by federal and state governments, given some will travel from COVID-19 “red zones”.

Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said he was mindful the organisation needed to balance the protection of the community’s health with running a major tournament drawing participants from around the world. He discussed the plans with Roger Federer last week and is in weekly contact with the men’s and women’s tours as well as fellow grand slam bodies.

“We are not going to do anything that is going to jeopardise the health of the community,” he said. “It flips around in a sense. We have to protect the community from the players for the first fortnight, then we have to protect the players from the community after that.”

The US Open recorded more than 10,000 COVID-19 tests over the past three weeks, with only one player testing positive.

Frenchman Benoit Paire was withdrawn from the tournament and those he had contact with were immediately isolated.

Mr Tiley said Australian plans would be similarly thorough and could include saliva testing by January.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said major events, including the Boxing Day cricket Test and Australian Open, will look different this summer. “Teams coming from overseas, players coming from overseas, coaches, officials — they’re all going to have to quarantine,” he said. “It’s not going to be an ordinary summer from that point of view, but we’ll get as many people as we can, provided it’s safe.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews gives his daily update on the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“We don’t want one event, as important as those events are economically, and also for a sense of normality for people — the Australian Open tennis is a big feature of every summer, it’s a ­really big event for us — to necessarily set us back and cause us a problem.”

Should the health outlook be promising by the summer, there are plans for tournaments to host crowds at 25 to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

Under the Andrews government’s roadmap out of lockdown, most restrictions will be lifted by November 23 if there have been no new COVID-19 cases for a fortnight. Large events will be treated on an individual basis according to the epidemiological situation at the time.

The last restrictions will be lifted only if the state records no new cases in 28 days.

Last year’s Australian Open drew more than 800,000 fans.

Mindful of the number of Australians unable to return home because of flight caps and quarantine restrictions, there is a chance Tennis Australia will arrange for participants to fly to Melbourne on charter flights.