Quarantine Controversy During Australian Open Highlights the Impact of Lockdown on Athletes

Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia (Wikimedia Commons)

Tennis players competing in the Australian Open are crying foul due to the adverse effects of Australia’s strict lockdown protocol for international players. Before the tournament began, more than 160 players were forced to quarantine following exposure to a hotel worker who tested positive for COVID-19 on February 4. This infection scare follows a more strict quarantine mandate that affected 72 Grand Slam entrants who had been exposed to the virus while traveling with infected individuals on charter planes in January. These 72 tennis players were forced into a “hard lockdown,” meaning they were not allowed to leave their hotel room at all for a 14-day period. As a result, players had to train in their rooms by rallying with walls and windows, serving into mattresses, and riding stationary bikes given to players by event organizers. 

However, the lockdown mandate had a disproportionately negative impact on the quarantined players. In fact, only one of the 55 singles players forced into the hard lockdown reached the fourth round. During a post-game interview following her defeat in the third round, Anett Kontaveit, the 21st-seeded Estonian player, stated, “I mean, there’s no escaping the fact that we were in the room for two weeks before a Slam—that’s not how you prepare for a Slam.” 

Even players still competing in the tournament have spoken out on the harsh aspects of Australia’s lockdown. Perhaps the most notable dissenting voice is that of Novak Djokovic, the number one seed from Serbia, and arguably one of the best tennis players in the world. He pointed out that quarantining before a tournament puts tennis players at higher risk of injuring themselves, and strict quarantine policies dissuade players from attending minor tournaments with smaller cash pools. 

When interviewed after his victory against Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, Djokovic stated, “Talking to a lot of players, the majority of the players just don't want to go ahead with the season if we are going to have to quarantine most of the tournaments.” 

In response to this statement, Spanish player Rafael Nadal said, “Not only players, a lot of people are living from our sport… And if we stop our sport again, a lot of people are going to suffer. [W]e need to find solutions and we need to adapt to these very tough times that we are facing." 

In light of his loss in the quarter-final round, Nadal has gained admiration from many tennis fans after his humble response to defeat. “We can find excuses or reasons… But I am not the guy that's going to find excuses on that or going to complain about what happened,” he told interviewers. Regardless of how players have responded to quarantine mandates over the course of the tournament, the Australian Open has set a standard for strict precautionary measures. Thus, Grand Slam tournaments that take place later in the year will receive intense scrutiny from local governments, meaning players will face similar quarantining strategies in the future.