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The Australian Open tennis Grand Slam will begin three weeks late on February 8, stories mentioned on Wednesday, with gamers cleared to coach throughout quarantine following prolonged negotiations with state authorities. According to Australian media, the beginning date was introduced to gamers by match director Craig Tiley. If confirmed, it should be part of the three different main tournaments in being disrupted by the coronavirus. Tennis Australia has been in protracted talks with Victoria state authorities in Melbourne, which solely emerged from a months-long lockdown in October following a second wave of instances.
“It’s taken a while, but the great news is it looks like we are going to be able to hold the AO (Australian Open) on 8 February,” Tiley was quoted as telling gamers in a leaked letter.
“Players will have to quarantine for two weeks from 15 January, but the Victorian government has agreed to special conditions for AO participants – agreeing that they need to be able to prepare for a Grand Slam.”
Under the plan, gamers who take a look at damaging for the virus will have the ability to practice whereas in isolation, Tiley wrote.
Tennis Australia didn’t affirm the stories on Wednesday, and mentioned plans had been nonetheless awaiting approval from the state authorities.
A February Eight begin date would permit for every week of warm-up tournaments after quarantine, however would probably imply scrapping the flagship ATP Cup males’s group occasion resulting from a scarcity of time.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews earlier mentioned he remained dedicated to holding the Australian Open, however that security was paramount.
“Unlike every other tennis tournament that the men’s and women’s tours will play this year, only the Australian Open is a tennis tournament in a city where it can likely be assumed that those players will bring the virus here,” he instructed reporters.
“Just think about that for a moment — every other Grand Slam (is happening in a place where) cases are running wild.”
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal final month mentioned it was an unprecedented state of affairs and urged endurance from gamers.
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“That is difficult for everyone,” he mentioned on the ATP Finals in London. “We need to be flexible to understand the situation and to find a way to play as many tournaments as possible next year.”
This 12 months, the US Open was held behind closed doorways and the French Open was delayed and came about in entrance of restricted crowds, whereas Wimbledon was cancelled for the primary time since World War II.
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