Australian (Open) Tennis and COVID-19

[Anna]

Serena's hitting partner was meant to be her sister Venus.

Well, this morning the hitting partner looked to me like Jarmere Jenkins (having now googled his name and photo). I did not see Venus, she may have been there but I didn't have a full view.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Pretty big "if".

For sure. But i don’t think it’s a matter of logistics. They seem willing to hold the event... it’s just whether anyone will be able or willing to attend.

We should be able to hold the AO, at least from a logistics point.

It’s disappointing the way things have been reported so far. The tennis world should be saying ‘omg, this is amazing, look at how well Australia is doing’.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Those poor AO players are being tortured! Apparently not what they signed up for:

‘TORTURE’: FURIOUS BACKLASH TO STRICT LOCKDOWN

French player Alize Cornet, who is in Melbourne but was not on either plane, called the situation “insane”.

“Soon, half of the players from the AO will actually have to isolate,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

“Weeks and weeks of practice and hard work going to waste for one person positive to COVID in a 3/4 empty plane. Sorry but this is insane.

“We’ve been told that the plane would be separated by section of 10 people and that if one person of your section was positive, then you had to isolate. Not that the whole plane had to.

“This seems to be a very sensitive subject and I understand it. We are privileged, indeed, but please try to get our point of view too. And btw, I was not in this plane.

“But we are not asking the Victorian residents to play a professional sport afterward. The risks of injury after a two-week break is huge. Maybe I’m too focused on my side of the story, but that’s also why we are here for.”

Ukrainian star Marta Kostyuk added “being alone is such a torture” while other players claimed that the rules governing confinement have been changed.

Outraged tennis stars slam quarantine rules after virus causes Australian Open chaos

Forty-seven players were barred from practising for a fortnight in a major setback to their Australian Open preparations after passengers on two charter flights that brought them to Melbourne tested positive to COVID-19.

www.news.com.au

Well one take away from that article is that one coach has been confirmed to be a positive case, and the other AO participant is also thought to be a coach.

The third positive case having already been identified as aircrew.


It has been previously reported that several coaches also tested positive in the preflight tests and were excluded from travelling to Australia.

 

[Must...Fly!]

For sure. But i don’t think it’s a matter of logistics. They seem willing to hold the event... it’s just whether anyone will be able or willing to attend.

We should be able to hold the AO, at least from a logistics point.

It’s disappointing the way things have been reported so far. The tennis world should be saying ‘omg, this is amazing, look at how well Australia is doing’.

Except many worldwide news agencies are taking the approach of reporting the arrival of players in the context of Australia's strict borders and returning Australians cap. So it just looks like the country is turning it's back on its own in favour of tennis players here for a few weeks.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Novak has a balcony, he came out on it yesterday to the delight of the Channel 10 camera guy loitering outside all day. And Rafa posted a photo of his view on his FB page that looked like it was taken from a balcony.

Yes SA Health as noted does seem to have a more flexible approach.

However to be fare, that was the six page letter referenced will have been sent to one particular player. Raf and Serena may well have had a different letter with different stated requirements.

 

[OATEK]

Well one take away from that article is that one coach has been confirmed to be a positive case, and the other AO participant is also thought to be a coach.

The third positive case having already been identified as aircrew.


It has been previously reported that several coaches also tested positive in the preflight tests and were excluded from travelling to Australia.

I though the OTT claims of torture were a bigger take-away.

 

[RooFlyer]

I am not sure SA Health or Vic DHHS would allow external staff into quarantine hotels as that would be breaching the bubbles.

Not if they go into the bubbles and stay there, surely, as noted above? A sacrifice on the part of the chef (s) but I dare say they would be compensated OK.

I think for someone like Federer, the AO and Victorian government would bend over backwards should the elite players have asked for something like that. Wonder if they have, or are happy with the hotel food or ‘Uber eats ( Premium)?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Well, this morning the hitting partner looked to me like Jarmere Jenkins (having now googled his name and photo). I did not see Venus, she may have been there but I didn't have a full view.

Note that they may have switched who hits with who. But in the first week it is meant to be with the same person, and it was indicated that Venus was allowed to join the SA bubble to be Serena's hitting partner.

But it does seem that SA Health is applying different rules.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Except many worldwide news agencies are taking the approach of reporting the arrival of players in the context of Australia's strict borders and returning Australians cap. So it just looks like the country is turning it's back on its own in favour of tennis players here for a few weeks.

Well... let's consider the 'reverse' and we in Australia read that US open players were being flown in to the exclusion of stranded Americans. Would we care?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think for someone like Federer, the AO and Victorian government would bend over backwards should the elite players have asked for something like that.

You do have some interesting ideas on how to run HQ. I doubt VicDHHS shares them.

Roger Federer's absence from next month's Australian Open is less down to injury and more due to strict quarantine measures for him and his family.​

​

In a surprisingly frank interview Andre Sa, the tournament's Director of Player Relations, stated that Federer's wife Mirka did not approve the idea of him being away from his family for more than a month.​

 

[Pushka]

Roger Federer's absence from next month's Australian Open is less down to injury and more due to strict quarantine measures for him and his family.In a surprisingly frank interview Andre Sa, the tournament's Director of Player Relations, stated that Federer's wife Mirka did not approve the idea of him being away from his family for more than a month.

That was just someone's opinion and never confirmed by the person concerned.

 

[Lynda2475]

I don't see how hosting the AO has given Australia a bad reputation. It should be our opportunity to showcase that we can put on great events even under tough conditions.

Should be and what is being reported are two different things. To date all the press has been negative about how priviledged tennis players are arriving while Victroia prevents its own residents returning form lower risk Sydney and whilst many Australians are trapped overseas.

Lots of high profile player whinging about poor conditions and shwoing mice in supposedly 4 and 5 star hotels - does nothing to help tourism post Covid. These Tennis players have social media followings that are huge, if they talk trash about Melbourne, it harms longer term tourism Australia wide, as we already have the tyranny of distance to overcome in attrcating tourism $.

ot least of which is that the source of this new cluster is not yet linked by transmission to other known cases.

Genomic results are expected this afternoon, fully expect that will show is part of Berala cluster. The challenge is getting this cohort to be honest about everywhere they have been so they can find the overlap with other known cases.

 

[Lynda2475]

Lots of posts this arvo of AO players having ordered Uber Eats (for some reason McDonalds a favourite) as unhappy with the HQ meals. So for those who were worried they couldnt source other food the evidence is in that it wasnt hard at all.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Some of those food delivery fees won't have tax on them - oh dear.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The Australian Open has announced a fourth case of coronavirus, diagnosed in a member of the broadcast team who tested positive after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles.

There are now 62 people who have been identified as close contacts, who will have to undergo 14 days of quarantine.

 

[Lynda2475]

The 4 positives so far:

Three of the confirmed cases travelled into Australia on flight from Los Angeles - a crew member, a tennis coach and a member of a broadcast team. There are 62 close contacts on the flight, who will now isolate for 14 days.

After another flight from Abu Dhabi, a coach tested positive. There were 63 close contacts who are required to stay in their hotel room for two weeks.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Well where there is the will, there is a way.

Pablo Cuevas indulging "Indoor" Tennis practice for the AO while in quarantine.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1350584695378083848

 

[Lynda2475]

From ABC News:

Low level breaches among players being reported

Ms Cassar said there were some players who were "testing our procedures" and had tried to leave their hotel room.

“Again, these procedures are in place to keep people safe,” she said.

She said people trying to leave their rooms was putting the community and their staff at risk.

Ms Cassar said there was “zero tolerance” for the “challenging behaviours” and CQV had contacted Victoria Police to step up compliance.

"We take all breaches really seriously. For the players that is a fine of up to $20,000, a warning from the police."

Those players “persistently breaching” the rules would be transferred to a complex health hotel where a Victoria Police officer would be stationed at every door, Ms Cassar said.

“I can give you two examples, a player who opened his door to try and have a conversation with his training mate down the hallway. Again, he’s got a phone, you can pick up the phone and use the telephone as opposed to putting you and others at risk,” she said.

“The other was another gentleman who shouted some Uber Easts to some other people on the floor and was praising his great efforts and opened his door to do so.

“It is really low-level but really dangerous acts which we just can’t tolerate.”

 

[tomlee1986]

I seriously think the Australian open should be cancelled this year... too many issues and challenges to deal with, and even more australians struggling to return home after last year

 

[lovetravellingoz]

From ABC News:

Low level breaches among players being reported

Ms Cassar said there were some players who were "testing our procedures" and had tried to leave their hotel room.


She said people trying to leave their rooms was putting the community and their staff at risk.

Ms Cassar said there was “zero tolerance” for the “challenging behaviours” and CQV had contacted Victoria Police to step up compliance.


Those players “persistently breaching” the rules would be transferred to a complex health hotel where a Victoria Police officer would be stationed at every door, Ms Cassar said.

So in summary from that, all those in quarantine are being closely monitored to the extent that even if they open the door that they are found out.