Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has given the list of quarantine demands issued by Novak Djokovic absolutely nothing, lightly chiding the tennis star who is among those in full lockdown after arriving in Melbourne for the Australian Open.
At least 72 players are currently in hard 14-day lockdown, not at all unlike the quarantine that all other international arrivals currently face when entering Australia. However the has been some consternation among players, who have claimed varying levels of miscommunication from tennis and immigration officials. Those claims largely revolve around a fabled promise of being allowed out of quarantine hotels for 5 hours per day to train; a promise that all Government officials in Australia have steadfastly denied.
In response to being placed into hard hotel quarantine, Djokovic reportedly wrote to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley with a list of suggested concessions for Open players in quarantine. Those demands, published by Spanish tennis site Punto de Break, reportedly included:
- Fitness and training material being put in all hotel rooms
- “Decent” food tailored to the needs of elite athletes
- A reduction in the duration of the quarantine period for players, coupled with increased testing to confirm players are COVID negative
- Permission for a player to visit a coach or trainer in the quarantine hotel, provided both return negative tests
- Grant both player and coach permission to be housed on the same level of the quarantine hotel
- Move as many players as possible to private homes with tennis courts for their quarantine period
Andrews minced no words in making his position on the matter abundantly clear this morning: “No.”
“People are free to provide lists of demands. But the answer is no. And that was very clearly put,” Andrews asserted in a press conference a short time ago.
Andrews then rubbished assertions that players had been mislead or promised special quarantine conditions in no uncertain terms: “The notion that there’s been any change, the notion that people weren’t briefed – I think that that argument really has no integrity whatsoever, and don’t just take my word for it. You’ve got other players, who I think on social media and in other forums have made it clear that they were clear on the rules,” he stated.
All Australian Open players that have arrived in Melbourne are engaging in quarantine periods that, pending negative tests, has them released well in time for the tournament’s scheduled kickoff on February 8th.
Djokovic previously contracted COVID after spearheading an unsanctioned tennis tour across southern Europe in June. That tour was abandoned after a spate of positive tests among players. While the tournament was active, Djokovic was filmed partying in a packed nightclub in Serbia.
