Things are getting more and more tricky for the upcoming Australian Open. Some top players like Roger Federer and John Isner have decided not to compete to not be separated for too much time (at least 5 weeks) from their family. Rafael Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya also decide not to go Down Under for the same reason. Unfortunately, Dominic’s Thiem coach Nicolas Massu was found positive for the coronavirus and he will probably skip the Australian summer. American rising star Amanda Anisimova tested positive in the Middle East and there are question marks about her participation at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray positive
The last bad news is that Andy Murray also tested positive for the virus and is now isolating at home.
Andy Murray would have participated in the first slam of the year thanks to a wild card. Tennis Australia released the following statement:
“Andy Murray has advised that he has tested positive to COVID-19 and is isolating at home in the UK.
Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to join the official AO charter flights arriving in Australia in the coming days to go through the quarantine period with the other players.
The AO fans love Andy, and we know how much he loves competing here in Melbourne and how hard he’d worked for this opportunity.”
Why Murray may still play the Australian Open
Fortunately, there is still hope for Andy to play the Australian Open as he will fly to Australia when everything will be safe and the local authorities give the green light. Ironically, Murray had to drop a wild card for Delray Beach in order not to risk being infected.
Andy has a great history at the Australian Open. He has never managed to win the slam, but he was the runner-up on 5 occasions.
Andy Murray in 2021
Now ranked no.123, the Brit played his last match on the 13th of October 2020 when he was defeated by Fernando Verdasco 6-4 6-4 in the 1st round in Cologne (draw).
