There is no shielded “bubble” for the participants in Melbourne this year at the first major tennis event of the year. And so it happens in the hectic first Grand Slam week with dozens of games at the same time that the players mingle with the fans. On Friday (January 21, 2022), the French player Nicolas Mahut and women’s national coach Julien Benneteau and other coaches sat in the crowded arena to cheer on compatriot Gael Monfils in his third-round match against Christian Garin from Chile.
players between the fans
The support was successful, “Showman” Monfils reached the round of 16 under the eyes of his colleagues. Mahut and Co. took a risk as supporters, sat in a block with journalists and fans. The mask requirement of those responsible at tennis Australia is not checked and not implemented by everyone at 30 degrees in the shade – not consistently with the French supervisors around Mahut, at least on Friday.
After the match, they left the fan block and went back to the players’ area of the facility, where hundreds of players and their coaches spend the time between matches. There is a greater portion of uncertainty there these days in Melbourne: Unlike other sporting events, there are no reliable and mandatory corona tests at the first Grand Slam tournament. This has already caused irritation among players.
Zverev: “We will not be tested”
Alexander Zverev sparked a discussion during the week after his second-round win over local hero John Millman, saying: “We’re not being tested and I think if we were tested there might be more positive tests than there is now.”
The number three in the world rankings referred to the numbers in the state of Victoria. On Saturday, the authorities there reported 16,016 new cases in around 6.6 million inhabitants. A little less than half of these were transmitted via rapid tests.
Nine days ago there were more than twice as many (more than 37,000). Rapid tests are in short supply in Melbourne. They are almost always out of stock in stores. The number of unreported cases is therefore likely to be higher.
Daily checks on the premises
Proof of vaccination is checked daily on site. Otherwise, with accreditation for interviews, you can also access the player areas and players also come into contact with fans. There is a different philosophy down under Those who have been vaccinated are treated casually.
Those responsible for the tournament around the heavily criticized tournament director Craig Tiley are satisfied with the rules of the event. Players had to undergo a reliable PCR test within the first 24 hours after arrival. There is another test under supervision between days five and seven. There are discussions about the procedure.
Kohlmann: “The rules were suddenly relaxed”
“The rules changed every day”, says Germany Davis Cup-Captain and national coach Michael Kohlmann on sports show demand. In Sydney, where the German team initially played the ATP Cup, the second test should initially be a PCR test. “The official rules were then suddenly relaxed”, explains Kohlman. The procedure in Melbourne was the same.
After this second rapid test, which should be carried out under supervision, testing is only recommended. When asked by Sportschau after his third round win on Friday against Radu Albut, Zverev explained that the players received daily test kits from those responsible.
“At the end of the day we have to take responsibility as players. I have this responsibility – I do it. I can’t decide that for other players.”, explained Zverev.
The government and the Australian Open would have thought this through carefully and decided that “We players live like all Australians do here. But I hope that the players and their coaches are honest enough to say, ‘If I’m not feeling well, I’ll do one or two more tests’ to be fair to the other players.”
Probably several positive cases before leaving the country
Players only have to be tested when they leave the country after they have been eliminated from the country’s most important sporting event – many of them Airlines require that. Frenchman Hugo Humbert lost in the first round to compatriot Richard Gasquet and tested positive before leaving the country.
Kohlmann referred to that case and reported that there were rumors in player circles about other positive cases before departure. But Kohlman says: “The players can’t make the rules here – otherwise Novak Djokovic would certainly have played too. We have to stick to the rules.” But Kohlmann also believes like Zverev: “If 128 players were tested now, we would have one or the other positive one.”
Mies: Find it okay like that
There won’t be many failures like the darts world championship between the years or the handball championship that is currently taking place without PCR tests. Doubles specialist Andreas Mies explained that his partner Kevin Krawietz and he did not carry out any more tests after day seven because it was no longer mandatory. “If you don’t feel well or get symptoms overnight, you should take responsibility yourself and get tested.”
It is still a hot topic among the players. According to Krawietz, the German players go out to eat together more often – where possible outside to minimize the risk. Otherwise behave normally. Mies judged: “It wouldn’t be nice for the tournament if players couldn’t compete in the round of 16 even though they didn’t have any symptoms. That’s why I think it’s actually okay the way it is now.”
Status: 01/22/2022, 09:47