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Post by Admin on Jan 24, 2021 19:29:27 GMT
Quarantined tennis star Dayana Yastremska's arrival in Australia has come under fire again after her appeal against a provisional doping suspension was rejected. The world No.29 from Ukraine sparked controversy when she was filmed on a Tennis Australia charter flight to Melbourne for the Australian Open starting on February 8 despite testing positive to a banned substance in an out-of-competition sample. She was then placed in a hard 14-day lockdown after a passenger on that flight returned a positive test of their own. Her situation worsened when the International Tennis Federation released a statement on Sunday saying that an independent tribunal had denied 20-year-old Yastremska's application to have her provisional ban lifted. It's left the Ukrainian locked in a Melbourne hotel with seemingly no remaining chance of competing at the Australian Open - and many questioning how she came to be on the TA-funded flight. "Yastremska should never have been allowed to travel," Richard Ings, a former tennis umpire and ex-CEO of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, tweeted. "She could have had an expedited hearing on her provisional suspension completed before she boarded the plane. "The ITF/Tennis Anti-Doping Program is who should compensate Tennis Australia. They allowed her to travel." The independent panel's decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by Yastremska, WADA and the Ukraine anti-doping agency.
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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2021 7:24:42 GMT
Australian model Belle Lucia has hit out at the federal government, accusing them of allowing tennis stars into the country for the Australian Open ahead of Aussie citizens trying to get home. Around 1200 tennis players and officials are currently in hotel quarantine in Melbourne and Adelaide after flying into the country earlier this month to prepare for the grand slam. However there have been claims that the tennis cohort have been given priority when Australian citizens are being forced to wait overseas. http://instagram.com/p/CKa7XOmhyLG Lucia, who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, is desperately trying to get home to Australia from the UK with her young son because her visa is about to expire. The model lashed out on Instagram on Wednesday, accusing the federal government of “double standards”. http://instagram.com/p/CKWB2W2hDar “So if you’re a rich tennis player no problem getting into the country,” she wrote. “If you’re an Australian citizen with an almost expired visa with a baby, then no. “Also, it’s mandatory to do two weeks’ hotel quarantine but a lot of tennis players get practice time outdoors which is another double standard.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2021 22:12:04 GMT
Petra Kvitova is one of those lucky tennis players who is able to train in these weeks. In an interview with Tennis Majors, the Czech tennis player makes an analysis of the situation highlighting the complicated reality they are experiencing.
She said: "To be honest, I was one of the luckiest, since at least I can go out for a few hours a day to train on the track. I spent many hours working in the preseason, so now I have a little more time to relax, in fact I'm enjoying my free time a lot.
I watch series, drink coffee, read books, etc. Of course I also have to do fitness, so I still have a lot to do." The conditions are difficult for everyone, ans she added: "The controls are very strict from day one, everyone was very scared when the news about the airplanes came out, which is understandable.
You can only open the door to your room when food is brought to you. Now gradually things are calming down, everything is much calmer. We still can't see anyone in person, but we talk to each other on the phone. Even if we meet someone on the bus, we keep a safe distance.
We disinfect our hands like five times before entering the field, in this sense everything is very rigid, but you have to understand how important it is to do so."
The difficult conditions of tennis players in Melbourne About the 72 players in isolation she commented: "I am always present at Craig Tilye's calls on Zoom, they are the first to know what the players think and how they feel.
The frustration of isolated tennis players is understandable, but we have to live with it. I know I'm not in the same situation, but Tennis Australia is trying to help them by providing them with equipment, weights or bikes.
We all knew that such a thing could happen, a 14-day quarantine, but we all thought we would be lucky and could play." Five hours of freedom seems enough for Petra Kvitova: "The truth is that five a day is enough.
I train for an hour and a half, including warm-up, at most 1 hour and 40 minutes. It's OK for me. Then I'm in the gym for another hour and a half at the most. I understand that there are players for whom it seems little time, but I am already 30 years old and I need to protect my body a little more.
We have to value all this, in the world there are thousands of people who are losing their jobs, so I am grateful that we can continue to compete."
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Post by Admin on Feb 4, 2021 3:25:14 GMT
All competition at six Australian Open tuneup events scheduled for Thursday was called off after a person working at one of the tournaments' Melbourne quarantine hotels tested positive for COVID-19.
Players preparing for the year's first Grand Slam tournament, which is supposed to begin Monday, must isolate at their hotels until they test negative for the illness caused by the coronavirus.
"We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible," Tennis Australia said in a statement announcing the postponement of all matches that were to be played Thursday at Melbourne Park.
Victoria's state premier, Daniel Andrews, said he called a late-night news conference Wednesday to announce the case "through an abundance of caution," although he did acknowledge that new restrictions could impact hundreds of people associated with the Australian Open.
Andrews spoke before all of Thursday's play was postponed, which he acknowledged was a possibility. But as for the Australian Open, Andrews said: "At this stage, no impact on the tournament proper."
Any players, coaches or officials who quarantined at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Melbourne were deemed to be casual contacts of the 26-year-old infected man and are required to remain in their hotels until they test negative.
Everyone in the city will be required to wear masks while indoors.
The hotel advertises it has 550 rooms, including 25 premium suites, so potentially hundreds of people associated with the tournament could be forced back into isolation. That could test the resolve of players who have recently come out of two weeks in quarantine and could give ammunition to critics of the decision to allow people to fly in from all over the world for the year's first major.
Australian Open organizers didn't immediately have details of how many players would have to isolate.
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Post by Admin on Feb 7, 2021 22:21:19 GMT
The first Grand Slam event of the year has finally arrived. The 2021 Australian Open will provide a little bit of a return to normalcy, as fans will be in attendance. Despite the obstacles, from 72 players having to quarantine upon arrival and forced to train in their hotel rooms for 14 days, to a hotel worker testing positive for COVID-19 and forcing players back into isolation, the tournament is happening (watch on ESPN+ and the ESPN App). Our experts break down who they expect to come out on top in the men's and women's singles draws, and who to keep an eye on to make a surprise run for the crown. Who will win the men's singles title? Novak Djokovic is looking to win a ninth Aussie Open title. AP Photo/Hamish Blair James Blake: Novak Djokovic. He just feels so confident at the event and still the best mover in the game. Cliff Drysdale: Djokovic is the obvious pick given his winning history in Melbourne, but it will not be a gimme with a tough draw. Chris Evert: Rafael Nadal. I just love his competitive spirit, and I think he's for another Grand Slam title. Brad Gilbert: I would love to see Nadal get No. 21, but Djoker is the big favorite since he's so difficult to beat Down Under. However, I am choosing a new champion: It will either be Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev, but I'm leaning toward the young Greek to win his first Slam. Jason Goodall: Beating Djokovic in Melbourne is almost -- not quite, but almost -- as difficult as beating Nadal at Roland Garros. Novak vs. the field? Novak. Sam Gore: Djokovic. Hard to pick anyone else when you consider the success he has had at this event as an eight-time champion. But this year there are a couple of other things going in his favor as I see it. First, the way he exited the US Open. Yes, it was his fault and he apologized, but you know it has burned him up inside since. Second, fitness and mental edge. No one stays fitter, and this major will come down to who best stays fit and handles the mental grind of quarantine.
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