Reports: Novak Djokovic sends letter to Craig Tiley demanding better facilities for players quarantining in Melbourne
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has shot off a letter to Craig Tiley over the concerns faced by players who have been ordered to go into total quarantine in Melbourne, as per recent reports.
On Saturday, 47 players were asked to remain in their rooms for the next 14 days after passengers on two of the flights chartered by Tennis Australia returned positive tests. Then on Sunday, Tennis Australia confirmed that a third plane, this time from Doha, had returned a positive test. That means 25 additional players will not be allowed to leave their room for 14 days, bringing the total to 72.
The move, mandated by Victoria health officials, has not gone down well with the players. Many have complained they were unaware that even one positive test on any of the planes would lead to all passengers on the flight being asked to go into total quarantine.
The players are reportedly unhappy about the unequal playing field caused by the latest disruption too. The total quarantine strips them of the five hours daily they were expecting to use for training outside their rooms during their first two weeks in Melbourne.
Journalist Fernando Murciego has now reported that Novak Djokovic’s letter calls for a number of measures to improve the conditions allotted to these players. Djokovic has supposedly asked Tennis Australia to consider the following proposals in relation to the players in total quarantine:
- Fitness and training material in all rooms
- Decent food, according to the level of the tournament and from an elite athlete
- Reduce the days of isolation for the isolated players, carrying out more tests that confirm that all are negative
- Permission to visit your coach or physical trainer, as long as both have passed the PCR
- If the previous proposal has the green light, that both the player and his coach are on the same floor of the hotel
- Move as many players as possible to private houses with a court to train
There has been no official comment from either Novak Djokovic or Australian Open organizers about the letter. That said, Craig Tiley did state on Sunday that his team would be working with the impacted players to make the 'best out of a bad situation'.
Tiley added that there were no plans to postpone the Australian Open any further.
Novak Djokovic was reportedly unhappy about the different conditions in Melbourne and Adelaide
Novak Djokovic is one of six players who flew to Adelaide for the two-week quarantine, along with Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
The Serb, who has been very vocal in his role as the leader of the Professional Tennis Players Association, was reportedly not happy about the different quarantine conditions for those in Adelaide.
Tennis Australia's decision to quarantine the game's biggest stars in Adelaide, where they have been permitted to bring additional members of their support team, has only added to the frustration of the players in Melbourne.
While it remains to be seen if this latest push by Novak Djokovic will have any impact for the players in Melbourne, his act of sending a letter has been met with some appreciation. Paula Badosa, who is among those who were on the affected flights, commended Novak Djokovic's move by tweeting, "Always helping and one step ahead!"