Novak Djokovic disregards the mask requirement and makes “outrageous” demands – sport

One cannot blame the organizers of the Australian Open for not having done everything to ensure that Melbourne’s first Grand Slam tournament of the year can be played in early February. They chartered 17 aircraft, which were only used to capacity to a quarter of their capacity, to take the tennis entourage, which brought around 1200 people from all corners of the world to Australia with players and supervisors. Whoever boarded the plane had to be able to show that they did not carry the virus or that they were no longer infectious. Tests were carried out again immediately after arrival, before the 14-day quarantine in the three designated hotels had to be commenced. It all happened under the strict supervision of the Victoria State Health Department.

But no concept can control the human factor. At least the mask-wearing requirement, which had been prescribed for all flights, was not strictly followed, as pictures show. So it happened as it had to: The corona virus was introduced on three flights from Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi and Doha. 72 players are now affected. Everyone on board the machines was placed under a 14-day quarantine. They were also deprived of the opportunity to leave the room for 5 hours a day to exercise. This also affects Belinda Bencic, who traveled with her fitness trainer and friend Martin Hromkovic and father and trainer Ivan Bencic.

“There are apples, pears and sour lemons”

She says the rules of the game changed after landing. Apparently it was intended to form groups of ten on the flights and to isolate them from one another. The consideration: If someone tests positive, the entire crew does not have to be quarantined. Bencic says, “When we landed, we got new information with more and new rules that we didn’t know about.” Being able to only train in the room for two weeks and then playing a tournament is not only suboptimal, but also increases the risk of injury, says Bencic’s professional colleague, the Romanian Sorana Cirstea. Bencic says she is not criticizing the quarantine, but rather the unequal conditions before the tournament.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, who are not in Melbourne, but in Adelaide, enjoy the best conditions. Not only were they allowed to bring a larger entourage (but they had to pay for it themselves), but they were also able to move much more freely and had all the amenities, including a fitness room. “There are apples and pears here, and I caught the sour lemon,” said Austrian double specialist Philipp Oswald to the online portal “Tennisnet.com”. “I didn’t think we’d all be locked up if a test was positive.” Two players are said to have tried to break out on the first day. In the meantime, additional police forces have been called in to enforce the measures.

Those who are not affected by the quarantine are divided into groups and escorted from the hotel to the facility every five minutes. After each group, the hallways and lifts are disinfected by cleaning staff. The five hours that players are allowed to leave their room every day are meticulously timed: two hours on the tennis court, 90 minutes in the fitness room, one hour for eating, the rest for transfers. This is shocking for those affected because it is obviously measured with unequal cubits. On the first day after arrival, Novak Djokovic was filmed waving to the cameras from a transport vehicle. He wasn’t wearing a mask. As the only one.

That did not prevent Djokovic, who organized the Adriatic Tour in the Balkans in spring 2020, during which there were several infections with the virus, from submitting a whole catalog of claims for his colleagues in Melbourne to the organizers. Among other things, the Serb demands a shorter isolation period, better food (!) And private accommodation with a place to train. That might be well-intentioned, but it goes down very badly in Australia and outside the tennis bubble. Because it gives the impression that the big names in tennis, who receive 100,000 Australian dollars if they lose in the first round, believe that they are above it all.

“A selfish, political move by Djokovic”

Former Australian tennis player Sam Groth takes Djokovic into court accordingly. He says: «Is Djokovic serious? This is a selfish, outrageous, political move to gain popularity. With his behavior on the Adria Tour, where he and several players were infected and spread the virus, he is the last person from whom anyone should take advice. ” The answer from Victoria’s Prime Minister Victoria Daniel Andrews was less excited and diplomatic. When asked about Djokovic’s demands, he said: “People are welcome to make lists. But the answer is no. So that is clear. ” Nothing is as important as the health of the population.

Anyone who dares to take a second look will see that violations of the quarantine rules, complaints about food or the disregard of the obligation to wear a mask, which rightly cause outrage, are the exception rather than the rule. The trainer of the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, for example, completed a 5-kilometer run in the hotel room. The French Nicolas Mahut moved his mattress in front of the door, lay down in his tennis tenu so as not to miss training. And Belinda Bencic moved her bed to one side, marked three rectangles on her window with tape, and began to exercise. “It’s the wrong topping, but it doesn’t matter,” she commented. Bencic has only played one tournament since March.