MELBOURNE (REUTERS) - Australian Open boss Craig Tiley on Tuesday (Jan 19) insisted most players supported being locked down in hard quarantine as a government official reported three new cases of Covid-19 that might be linked to the Grand Slam.
More than 70 players and their entourages are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days and unable to train for the Feb 8-21 Australian Open after passengers on three charter flights returned positive tests for the coronavirus.
Some players have complained about the conditions, and men's world No. 1 Novak Djokovic sent governing body Tennis Australia requests for quarantine restrictions to be eased, drawing a backlash from Australians.
This, despite news emerging that Hollywood actor Matt Damon was granted an exemption from hotel quarantine after arriving to film a Thor sequel in Sydney. He flew in on a private jet, will stay in a rented house under security and pay for hospital-grade cleaning for his 14-day quarantine, a doctor involved in his quarantine was quoted saying in local media.
On Tuesday, Australian authorities stood firm on the tennis event, saying mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving for the tournament was essential to stop Covid-19, as the country recorded another day with no new locally acquired cases.
"People are free to ask for things, but the answer is no," Victorian premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in a televised news conference.
"They knew what they were travelling into and we are not cutting corners or making special arrangements."
Tiley said he had a call with 500 players to address concerns and the "vast majority" had been supportive of Australia's strict protocols.
"The vast majority, most of them have been fantastic and been supportive," Tiley told the Nine Network.
"(They) know that this is the contribution that they have to make in order to get the privilege of when they do come out to compete for A$80 million (S$82 million) in prize money.
"So we will turn the corner on those few that don't have the right approach to this. But the rest have been really good."
Tiley, however, conceded that the 72 players in hard quarantine were at a disadvantage to rivals who arrived on other flights and can train up to five hours a day.
"Yes, it's not an even playing field as far as preparation goes but we're going to play our part to try to even it up as much as possible," he said.
Mr Andrews reported four new cases of Covid-19 in hotel quarantine on Tuesday and said three may be linked to Australian Open personnel.
The infections added to four linked to the tournament cohort on Monday.
He told reporters some of the cases might be reclassified as "viral shedding" from historical infections, which could allow some players and officials to be released from hard quarantine.
"If you've got say 30 people who are deemed a close contact because they've been on a plane with a case, and the case is no longer an active case, but a historic shedding, well then, that would release those people from that hard lockdown," he said.
