This year’s Australian Open had a rather rocky start. Tennis Australia and its CEO Craig Tiley put an immense effort to save the major this year during the pandemic. However, things are unpredictable, and Tennis Australia had to deal with the strict rules imposed by Victoria’s state. Eventually, it emerged that if there was 1 person positive for Coronavirus in a given plane, all passengers should observe a strict period of quarantine without having the opportunity to leave their hotel room.
After the passengers of 2 planes (now 3) had to observe strict confinement, many players grew more and more upset about their conditions.
Novak Djokovic is the founder and the promoter of the so-called Professional Tennis Players Association and he decided to set in.
Even if Novak had the luxury to be quarantined in Adelaide, where the conditions are less strict than in Melbourne, he has always expressed his unease for the difference of treatment between the players in South Australia and the ones in Victoria.
Novak wrote a letter to Craig Tiley asking:
- Fitness equipment for every room
- Decent food for all players (many mourned about the quality of food)
- Reduce the days of isolation for the players involved if tested negative
- Permission to visit their coach and physical trainer
- That coaches and physical players are put on the same floor (if point no.4 is accepted).
- Move players to private houses with a court to practice (this is practically impossible)
Novak Djokovic in 2021
Now ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 21st of November 2020 when he lost to Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-7(10) 7-6(5) in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
