Seventy-two tennis players are under strict COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in Australia that local officials refused to ease Monday ahead of the Australian Open.
The players, who traveled on three different charter flights to Melbourne, have been ordered to stay in their hotel rooms for fourteen days after multiple passengers on each plane tested positive for the coronavirus.
The 72 players will not be allowed to practice for two weeks leading up to the tournament, which begins on February 8th.
Some players, including Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who is currently the top ranked male player in the world, have reportedly complained about the restrictions and have asked for exceptions.
“People are free to provide lists of demands but the answer is no,” Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews told a news conference Monday.
Djokovic tested positive for coronavirus last summer while organizing a controversial tennis tournament across several Balkan countries that had few restrictions to stop the spread of the disease.
His management team has not publicly confirmed whether the tennis star submitted a list of demands to Australian Open organizers.
So far, none of the 72 quarantined players have tested positive for the virus since arriving in Australia.
Some have complained that the COVID-19 restrictions presented to them ahead of time were different than what they have experienced in Melbourne. Players specifically questioned what constituted “close contact” in regards to being on a plane with someone who tested positive, when flights were operating at limited capacity.
Players who are not under quarantine are still practicing under strict conditions and supervision.
