It was a suprise to most that the first tennis Grand Slam of the year The Australian Open is proceeding. First due to the pandemic and second because a recent abrupt border lockdown had thousands of Victorians locked outside of their home state.
So while these people wait to be allowed “back-in” they see all these tennis players, broadcast crews and entourages flying in from all these COVID ravaged locations.
The Government thinking goes along the lines off , this brings in millions of dollars (dunno how they measure that – presumably with a raft of contestable assumptions) and more importantly the fear if it is relocated, broadcasters, sponsors ,players etc will like the idea and it wont come back. So it proceeds with the Government promising strict protocols.
Apparently the players were briefed on the requirements but either didn’t attend the phone hook-up, many skipped it, didn’t take it seriously or assumed they’d be like Matt Damon who is quarantining at a luxury private home – not a quarantine hotel.
So they all arrive and all are tested and guess what – quite a few of these planes have people with COVID. A support person, a broadcast team person, a tennis player – every day another one pops up. so everyone on the plane is regarded as a close contact and they are all confined to a quarantine hotel for 14 days and aren’t allowed to leave their room.
No gyms, no tennis courts, no walks, no restaurants. The reaction has been well interesting. First we had Djokokovic, yes he of the rogue event in Serbia where he hot the bug too, intervening ‘on behalf” of those players locked down. General reaction -well you can fuck off for starters.
Then tanking Tomic’s girlfriend tweets she can’t get her hair done professionally in quarantine, a Spanish tennis player likens it too prison (except he will earn $100,00 even if he bombs out in the first round), another says she can’t breathe coz windows are locked.
Interestingly nearly all have retracted or come out subsequently and tempered their comments.
Yes frustrating but I seriously thing this wouldn’t be allowed to happen to them. Yes its COVID ,yes this is how you shut it down – but surely you don’t mean us!!
Most Melbournians I talk to, having experienced 2 protracted lockdowns think ,got a problem – next plane out, and expect a prety hostile reaction if you do get on a court.
Is this getting any coverage elsewhere and how do you think the tennis players would be treated in your part of the world?
Some interesting workout programmes being used. Mattress on the wall for hitting balls into, weightlifting using hotel furniture..
Did any of them say, “you canNOT be serious!” ?
After one borderline decision, Bjorn Borg once paused for a couple of seconds, looking at the umpire quizzically. That was the only petulant moment I remember from him.
I think he also made a ‘sit-down’ protest once. The wild man of tennis, fo’ sho’. And here he is in full raging flow…against Mac, of all people.
It’s a massive risk and a potential public relations disaster. I second your scepticism about the financial benefit the Open brings, much more significant is the status of Melbourne hanging on to an international sporting event. (The Australian Grand Prix, scheduled for March has been postponed until November.)
I suppose there’s an element of emerging ‘normality’ but it’s a kick in the teeth to not only the Victorians who can’t return from interstate but thousands stranded overseas due to the international flight cap.
Interestingly, the hotel quarantine scheme is now operated by the Department of Corrections, a decision which, had it been made last year could well have saved Melbourne from the second lockdown at least.
But then, the Victorian Government, despite its left leaning pretensions, continues to be resolutely in favour of continuing the outsourcing and subcontracting policies that emerged in the late 90’s.
And that is about money.
And keeping headcount tallies down. Meanwhile People from low COVID people from pacific islands are not allowed in and Fruit is left to rot in situ.
Meanwhile Andrews is laying in to Margaret Court for getting an Oz Day gong because she’s a disgusting everything-ophobe – which she is, but he’d be better employed sorting out the actual tennis nightmare.
I think I’m right in saying that Victoria is the only state that outsourced hotel quarantine security – it was police and army everywhere else. Certainly was in QLD.
It was more like sub-sub-sub contracting. The original security contract was sent out for further tender, a process which ultimately led to the recruitment of a poorly trained, inexperienced workforce with minimal equipment, confused lines of responsibility and as we saw, major public health consequences. When the Joint Investigatory Inquiry is published, the broken chains of responsibility that were a clear result of cost cutting outsourcing will be a major finding.
Don’t expect it to change much in an ideological sense however, Victoria is fully committed to privatisation, 40% of jails are privately owned and operated, even though Victoria has the fourth most expensive prison system in the OECD.
Yeah. NSW was police and military, and excellently handled.
Tennis is still a thing?
I’ve been in Melbourne in January. Oh God yes, it’s a thing.
Back in December Mrs M’s niece and 2 1/2 year old son arrived from Melbourne to spend a week with us in Sydney over Christmas. Finally she is returning home tomorrow, 6 weeks after arriving.
Yet the tennis players have been in Melbs for a few weeks and, as you point out, have brought the bloody virus with them.
I admired Dan Andrews (Victorian premier) for his hard line in keeping the lockdown happening last year, but he’s virtually admitted this has been about the “prestige” etc of the Aust Open, and probably fear of losing it. Not a good look Dan
So, the obvious question: whose palm is getting most greased to allow this farce to go ahead?
I can’t provide any evidence of bribery and corruption but having worked at the event for a couple of years during A Murray’s heyday, it’s a veritable schmoozefest for Melbourne politicians and officials. Somewhat bizarrely, I once saw the then Police Commissioner buttonholing Kenny Rogers. (It didn’t look like Kenny was listening. In fact, it didn’t even look like he was alive.)
An eerie forewarning of what was to come.
The French and US Opens happened in much worsely affected countries. Sport is going on all over the world, recently a superb test series in the very same country. So why shouldn’t it go ahead as long as correct precautions are followed?
International sports people are still allowed to come into the UK without quarantine, although that has now been revoked for artists and performers. Money talks I guess.
Difference being that these sports people are being continually tested whether showing symptoms or not. I thought rapid testing could help to re-open borders but that doesn’t seem to have become reliable enough.
What is Nick Kyrgios saying about all of this? I’m interested, because it’s usually something ornery like “Aaah, pooftahs!”
He called Djokovic a ‘tool’. Probably not for the first time.
Yeah – and everybody else at some point. Dude’s basically the MES of tennis.
“Chalk dust-uh. You are the pits-uh. Of the world-uh”
He comes on to the court an hour late and between points goes round fiddling with the net and the umpire’s microphone.
And then sacks his trainer and entourage.
I think F1 have taken the sensible option by moving the race back to November. Perhaps the tennis authorities might have been wise to follow suit.
The whole thing has turned into a bit of a clanger. We look forward to the Open, but my 12 year old daughter’s take is that the players are experiencing “what happens when you don’t read the Ts and Cs” and that Novak is “a bit of a Karen”.