The first Grand Slam of the year is almost upon us. All tennis fans are eager to attend the 111th edition of the Australian Open, an event that will take place from January 16 to 29. The number one in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, will not take the field.
The Spaniard suffered a new injury during the last training session and had to raise the white flag. The beneficiary of Alcaraz’s retirement will be Rafael Nadal, who will get the chance to defend his title as the number one seed in Melbourne.
Public attention will be focused on the return of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian champion started the season in the best way in Adelaide by winning the 92nd tournament of his career. Last year, the Belgrade native was unable to participate in the Australian Open due to his visa revocation linked to his vaccination status.
Australian Open, tennis players on the court even if they are positive for Covid-19
The Djokovic issue takes a completely different perspective considering the rules that the Australian Major established in 2023 for the handling of possible positives to Covid-19.
As happened at Wimbledon, following the regulations imposed by the British government, tennis players will not be required to undergo a swab and communicate any positivity to the Coronavirus. Craig Tiley explained: «We have clarified the situation for both the athletes and our 12,000 employees.
We recommend anyone who is unwell and has severe symptoms related to Covid-19 to reduce their social contacts and stay home. But let’s assume there may be tennis players competing with Covid-19, because we don’t force anyone to report any swab results.» The new Australian government, in particular, recommends that all citizens get a swab in case they should rediscover the classic symptoms of the Coronavirus.
In case of positivity, the isolation period would last only five days. Other news about it should arrive in the next few days.
