Australian Open director Craig Tiley has revealed that players can fight COVID-19 at Melbourne Park this year. Before and during this year’s Australian Open, players will not be required to take COVID tests. The same was true in some of the other major tournaments last year where it was up to the players to decide what to do when they weren’t feeling well.
“We’ve made that clear to our players, and also to our 12,000-plus staff. We ask, if anybody’s okay, stay home. It’s a natural environment for us, not unlike cricket, maybe there are players out there who are going to have COVID, we just wanted to follow through.” What is happening in society now.
We have made it clear to our players, as well as our staff, that if anyone is feeling unwell, stay home. “It’s a natural environment for us, and it’s no different from cricket,” Tiley told Reuters. “It’s possible that there will be players who are facing Covid.”
Tilly criticizes the Australian media report
In an article on NewsCorp, he suggested that Tennis Australia consider rescheduling the Australian Open. Also in the article, February and October are mentioned as dates for the Australian Open because the tournament would then avoid the worst of the heat.
Tiley described the article as “bizarre” because he believes the Australian Open is the tournament known to start the tennis season. I read that, and I thought it was completely absurd — a far-fetched claim.
You talk to every player, it’s the season. It starts in January. “It starts here in Australia,” said Tilley. Meanwhile, the Australian Open suffered two setbacks this past weekend. On Friday, world number one Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Two days later, two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka decided to withdraw from the Australian Open. But the very positive thing about the Australian Open is Djokovic’s return to Melbourne Park.
