Tennis resumed in Melbourne

Tennis started again in Melbourne on Friday with a very busy schedule and forms to compensate for the time lost following the positive case of Kovit in a hotel, but this warning is reminiscent of how the Australian Open hangs by a thread.

All players and accreditors have tested negative, the tournament organizers tweeted Friday afternoon.

The six warm-up matches for the Australian Open resumed on Friday morning with a very busy schedule.

A total of 507 people were subjected to the tests and were forced to isolate themselves in a hotel room while receiving the results.

Despite the setback, Open Director Greg Daily said he was confident of having an audience at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.

“Visitors will still be allowed to stay on the site and we will continue to sell tickets,” he said.

“The site will be a very safe place,” Greg Daily promised. “There are restrictions, communication tracking, physical distance.”

Meetings were canceled on Thursday, so resumed on Friday.

All the singles matches of the three WTA 500 matches have been reduced by one super tie break and there are ten possible winning points in the 3rd set. On the men’s side, no change in design has been announced, but all 8th and quarterfinals of the two ATP 250 matches will be played on Friday only. No changes were reported to the ATP file.

After half a thousand people – players and accredited – were isolated at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the employee who did a positive test on Wednesday had to undergo a new test on Thursday.

Then they had to isolate themselves – within 14 days of arriving in Australia or after the first isolated isolation – waiting for their decision in a hotel room.

Some rushed to post their negative result on social media.

– “Free” –

“After a negative ending, it’s better to go to the gym,” French woman Caroline Garcia comments with a photo of herself lifting a dumbbell.

“Negative and free again …”, Fabio greets Fognini taking a selfie on the street.

Arna Sabalenka posted a photo of the message on her phone announcing that “the Govit-19 virus has not been detected” during her test.

According to former world No. 1 Jim Courier, a consultant for the tennis channel, this new episode will still affect the minds of the players involved. “They have already expended a lot of mental energy to get into the right mindset. Some have told me there is not much left, so this will be a very difficult mental test,” he said. .

Benoit Byrne, for example, is thought to have survived an earlier attempt to oust him following Mr Jiang’s intervention in the US Open last September. This time, when he arrived in Melbourne, he was severely isolated without permission to leave for 14 days for contact with the plane.

“As luck would have it, the players in the Hyatt have one more day isolated, in which hotel was I in your opinion ???? !!!!!!! #PASDECHATTE PS: It’s complicated to play tennis” I’m going to avoid saying what I think about Govt. I’m going to be very annoyed, ”the Frenchman tweeted on Thursday.

Love to play, desire to organize. But the last word will come to the health authorities of the state of Victoria, among them the capital of Melbourne, and those who are most strict in controlling the epidemic.

– “more warning” –

Australia has returned to normal life once and for all, with the exception of localized locks, to the point where it is one of the few countries in the world that can allow the public to attend sporting events.

25,000 to 30,000 spectators are expected to attend the Australian Open.

Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews ruled Wednesday evening that the match should not be regretted. But opposition leader in the state Conservative Michael O’Brien has called for a ruling within 48 hours.

Around Melbourne Park, reactions erupted on Thursday.

“I’m disappointed at the Australian Open, it’s always about big money, not public safety,” said local John Reilly.

Another, Greg Rodgers, felt that the match would “mark a return to normalcy.”