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Australia: tennis with full stands, no mask and an exhibition with Djokovic as a substitute


Packed: this is how the tribunes of the complex that houses the Adelaide exhibition looked Credit: @australianopen

And one day, the end of the quarantine came for the tennis players who disembarked to play the Australian Open. It is true that there are still a few days to play the first Grand Slam of 2021 -It will start on February 8th-, but after two weeks of confinement, the great figures of the racket world were able to enter the court and start playing.

In the Argentine morning of this Friday the exhibition began A Day at the Drive, based in Adelaide. There they were, among others, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem (the Top 3 of the ranking), plus the sisters Serena and Venus Williams, Simona Halep and number 1 among women, Australian Ashleigh Barty.

The But de tenis After 14 days of quarantine – a mandatory condition established by the government of the State of Victoria for all those who arrived in Melbourne, where there have been no cases of Covid for three weeks – determined that the first day of the exhibition would look like in times not very far away: with many people in the stands and without masks or masks. Clear, the very low number of positive cases and infections allows Australia to have spectators in the standseven sitting next to each other. By far it was the most striking of the day, compared to the rest of the world and other events on the tennis circuit that were held behind closed doors or with a minimum of attendees. To take into account: since the beginning of the pandemic, the state of South Australia, in which Adelaide is located, suffered a total of 596 cases, with just 4 deaths.

In any case, it is worth remembering that Australia has applied a strict intensive care policy for months that reduced the number of cases of coronavirus to a minimum. In this sense, there were long talks and negotiations between the Australian Open organization and the government to adjust details on how the players could accommodate before the big tournament and, at the same time, comply with the sanitation restrictions of the Australian Ministry of Health. Thus, it was established that tennis players had to comply yes or yes with the quarantine, but after a few days they would have five-hour permits to train. However, there were 72 players who, due to registering positive for Covid on the flights to Melbourne, had to remain locked in their hotels without the possibility of practicing, which generated angry complaints on social networks and, at the same time, critical responses from public opinion Australian.

The first day of the exhibition in Adelaide had a novelty: Novak Djokovic announced that he had blisters on his right hand and was not fit to play. He was replaced by his compatriot, Filip Krajinovic, who is 31st in the world. And the Serbian won the first set to the Italian Jannik Sinner (36th). But at the end of that partial, there was a change: Djokovic entered for Krajinovic. The number 1 took advantage of the relaxed regulation of the exhibition and entered to play the second set, and add some rhythm, beyond the ailment. In short, it was victory for the Krajinovic-Djokovic team by 6-3 and 6-3. Obviously, everything is still far from the level of demand that will be necessary in a few days, when you start playing for the points. “I apologize for not playing from the beginning. I had to undergo treatment with my physical therapist,” Djokovic told viewers in the post-match interview. “But I wanted to play, I wanted to be here,” added the eight-time Australian Open champion, before getting a standing ovation.

Following the curious “substitution” of Djokovic it was the turn of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka (the North American won 6-2, 2-6 and 10-7). Serena, who passed confinement together with her little daughter Olympia, said that the first thing she did after the quarantine was over was go for a walk: “We went to the zoo. I appreciate that this is over. Being in a room with a 3-year-old girl and being her best friend is difficult, especially when you have to train for a big tournament. “

On the night shift, Rafael Nadal played against Dominic Thiem, with the Spanish left-hander winning 7-5 and 6-4, while Ashleigh Barty lost to Simona Halep 3-6, 6-1 and 10-8. “We have started a new year. I am happy to be back,” said Nadal, who won Australia almost twelve seasons ago.

The Adelaide exhibition is a preview of the abundant activity that tennis will have in the coming daysWith little time left to adjust preparation, players will have several tournaments to compete before the Australian Open, all in Melbourne as the venue. For those with the best ranking, the ATP Cup will be available, the tournament for national teams, reduced this year to a version of 12 teams and Argentine participation (with Schwartzman, Pella, Zeballos and Machi González), in addition to two ATP 250, the Great Ocean Road Open and the Murray River Open. The women will have three 500 series contests available: the Gippsland Trophy, the Yarra Valley Classic and the Grampians Trophy, which will begin on February 3, and reserved for players who were confined longer than expected.

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