Australian Open switches player quarantine hotel
Print Edition
Australian Open organizers have been forced to tear up a quarantine accommodation plan for international players a month before the Grand Slam following a threat of legal action from apartment owners at a luxury hotel in Melbourne.
Tennis Australia and government authorities had arranged for players to serve a 14-day mandatory quarantine at The Westin Melbourne ahead of the February 8-21 Australian Open.
Yesterday, the plan was scrapped after apartment owners at the Westin complained they had not been properly consulted and would seek an injunction against it.
“Following consultation between the owners of The Westin Melbourne, the hotel’s existing residents and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria the decision has been made to accommodate players and their support teams arriving in Melbourne for the upcoming ATP at an alternate hotel location,” the Westin said in a statement yesterday.
Graeme Efron, a lawyer representing the owners, said the quarantine plan was “never going to get through.”
“It was the epitome of hubris that they thought people would go along with it without being consulted,” he said.
International players at the Australian Open are expected to arrive in Melbourne from mid-January.
Victoria state Police Minister Lisa Neville told reporters yesterday an alternative quarantine hotel had been secured for the players, which would be “stood up today or tomorrow.”
Many of the world’s top players are planning to compete at tournaments at Melbourne Park in the week before the Grand Slam.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal are scheduled to play at the team-based ATP Cup, meaning they would need to arrive in Melbourne at least two weeks before the February 1-5 tournament to complete quarantine in time.
Melbourne, capital of Victoria state, was the epicenter of Australia’s largest second wave outbreak of COVID-19, which started at two quarantine hotels for international arrivals.
The United States will, however, be missing from the ATP Cup because of a change in format that has halved the field.
The inaugural event last year featured 24 teams and was played in three Australian cities, with Djokovic’s Serbia team beating Nadal and Spain in the final at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.
The second edition will involve 12 teams and be played entirely at Melbourne Park amid COVID-19 restrictions, along with WTA and ATP tournaments, in the week leading into the Australian Open.
The draw will be held on January 20, with teams divided into four groups. The winner of each round-robin group will advance to the semifinals.
Qualification for the ATP Cup was based on the ranking of each country’s top player, with Australia included on a wildcard entry. The other countries are: Austria, Russia, Greece, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Japan, France and Canada.
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