MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The build-up to next month’s Australian Open was thwarted on Saturday when 47 players were forced into two weeks of strict hotel quarantine after coronavirus infections were indicated on two chartered flights to Melbourne.
Two dozen players and their staff landed from Los Angeles to go into quarantine after an air crew member and a passenger, who was not a player, tested positive for COVID-19.
A further 23 players who arrived on a chartered flight from Abu Dhabi suffered a similar fate after another passenger who was not a player was found positive, the organizers of the year’s first grand slam said in a statement.
The players will ‘not be able to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days and until they are medically cleaned,’ they said.
“They can’t practice.”
Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Artemis Sitak, New Zealander, confirmed via social media that they were on the flight from Los Angeles.
According to local media, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, former US Open winner Sloane Stephens and Japanese Kei Nishikori were also on the run.
It was reportedly in the same plane was Tennys Sandgren, who received special permission late last week to travel from Los Angeles after testing positive for the new coronavirus, which he had previously had.
Tennis Australia said in a statement that the decision to allow Sandgren to fly was taken after an investigation by medical officials. A spokesperson for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said it was common among people who had previously tested positive to ‘shed viral fragments for some time – which could cause another positive result’.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said: “We are communicating with everyone on this flight, and especially the playgroup whose conditions have now changed, to provide as much as possible for their needs.”
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk said she was on the flight from Abu Dhabi.
Several players turned to them on social media to vent their frustration and resentment over the fact that they had not received training.
‘Weeks and weeks of practice and hard work are going to waste one person positively for Covid in a 3/4 empty plane. Sorry, but it’s insane, “tweeted Frenchwoman Alize Cornet.
Belgian Kirsten Flipkens criticized the decision to quarantine all the players on the flight and called it ‘Russian roulette’.
The New Zealand Sitak said it was ‘obviously not great’, but he was aware of the risks ahead, and he looked relaxed because he was grounded in his hotel room.
“I asked for a bike, so I’ll hopefully get one and stay in shape, and we’ll probably be out on January 29th,” the 34-year-old said in a video on his Instagram page.
He later posted a photo of his exercise bike and said “got this beauty”.
After regaining order and consulting his linesman, the referee called Zarenka Azarenka to one side and produced a red card for the player.
“If you have time to whine, you have time to find a solution,” the Belarusian tweeted.
Australia has agreed to accept around 1,200 players, officials and staff on 15 flights for the big sporting event which starts on 8 February.
Reporting by Melanie Burton and Ian Ransom; Additional reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; Edited by William Mallard, Jacqueline Wong and Hugh Lawson