This complicated Australian Open was off to a rather rocky start. All players had to be quarantined on their arrival in Australia with the opportunity to leave the premises for up to 5 hours for training. However, now, more than 72 players have to observe hard lockdown since their flights had people that tested positive for the Coronavirus.
The discontent
Players are divided into 2 groups. A small number of elite players had the opportunity to quarantine in Adelaide and the rest in Melbourne. The players in South Australia had a much smoother quarantine while the ones in Melbourne that to comply with stricter rules. Many players in Victoria think that this is unfair.
Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are part of the group that has been confining in Adelaide. When Naomi Osaka posted an innocent video on social media about her and her team starting to train, some players got berserk in Melbourne and the Japanese sensation had to promptly delete the tweet.
Craig Tiley, the CEO of Tennis Australia, has been managing the all situation. When asked about the disparity of treatment of the 2 groups, he said that it is normal that top players are entitled to have better treatment after what they have achieved.
“I get the feeling it is perceived as preferential treatment. But they’re the top players in the world. My general rule is if you’re at the top of the game, a Grand Slam champion, it’s just the nature of the business. You are going to get a better deal.”
Naomi Osaka in 2021
Currently ranked no.3, Osaka played her last match on the 12th of September 2020 when she defeated Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
Serena Williams in 2021
Currently ranked no.11, the American played her last match on the 28th of September 2020 when she beat Kristie Ahn 7-6(2) 6-0 in the 1st round of the French Open (draw).
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams faced off 3 times. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Osaka. Previously, the last time they squared off, Serena Williams won 6-3 6-4 in the quarter in Toronto (Rogers Cup) in August 2019.
Here the video highlights.
Novak Djokovic in 2021
At the moment ranked no.1, Novak 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).
Rafael Nadal in 2021
At the moment ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 21st of November 2020 when he capitulated to Daniil Medvedev 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played each other 56 times. The head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. The last time they fought against each other, Novak Djokovic won 6-4 3-6 7-69 3-6 10-8 in the semifinal in London (Wimbledon) in July 2018.
