With months of lockdowns and radical quarantine regulations, Australia has largely brought the corona pandemic under control. Less than 1,000 fatalities were recorded within a year. A success that – now that various vaccines promise additional relief – do not want to be jeopardized. The conditions under which major tennis events such as the Australian Open may take place are correspondingly strict. The qualifications take place in Dubai (women) and Doha (men). After that, 18 planes will bring players and support staff to Melbourne. In order to minimize the risk of infection, the capacity is limited to 20 percent. Ecological nonsense.
The most important measure at the tournament, which has been postponed by three weeks to the beginning of February: Everyone has to go into quarantine for 14 days after entering the country and are not allowed to leave the hotel assigned to them. Recently, residents of the hotel “The Westin Melbourne”, where there are 36 penthouse apartments, threatened legal action. They see the tennis entourage as a threat to their health. An outbreak could bring the entire city back into lockdown, lawyer Graeme Efron told the Sydney Morning Herald. It is shocking that people from all over the world are received in the state of Victoria, while those from neighboring New South Wales are not welcome.
In 2018 Roger Federer won his 20th and so far last Grand Slam title in Melbourne. It was his sixth win at the Australian Open.
© Tracey Nearmy / EPA / AAP
“I shouldn’t be separated from my family for so long”
Roger Federer is not affected by this. The Swiss had canceled his participation at the end of the year. The Australian Open in Melbourne will take place without him for the first time since 1999. After a second knee operation last summer, he was still behind in training. He is considering returning in late February. But that is only half the story, as is now known. Former professional player André Sa has been responsible for player relationships at the Australian association, Tennis Australia, since the beginning of 2019. And in this role he recently maintained close contact with Federer. The state of form is not the only reason for the cancellation.
While the players are allowed to leave the hotel for five hours a day during the quarantine, this rule does not apply to the entourage. The families would also be affected, including Federer’s wife Mirka and their four children. “The main reason is the quarantine,” said Sa to the Brazilian TV channel “Ace Bandsports”. Mirka was not prepared to travel to Australia with her husband and four children under these conditions. And traveling all alone was not an option for Federer himself. Sa says that Federer said to him: “I’m 39, have four children and 20 Grand Slam titles. I shouldn’t be separated from my family for so long, for five weeks. “
The family is the main reason for Federer’s cancellation for the Australian Open. And not the training deficit after knee surgery.
© Juergen Hasenkopf
Return in Montpellier or Rotterdam
Was the cancellation of his participation in the Australian Open not due to the knee and the lack of training just a pretext that Roger Federer came in handy? Also, but not only. As early as December, the Basel bidder let it be known that he was not on schedule. Instead of the originally planned in August, he only returned to the square in October. His last serious fight, the semi-finals at the Australian Open, was almost a year ago. A month ago he traveled to his second home in Dubai, where he has been preparing for many years.
It is still open when and where Federer will play his first tournament. His manager Tony Godsick announced an appointment in late February. In the last week of the month there are two deep category tournaments. Federer will not compete on clay in Cordoba, Argentina. But maybe in Montpellier, France, where they play on a hard surface. Participation in Rotterdam at the beginning of March also appears likely. In 2018, after his third victory in the Dutch port city after 2005 and 2012, Federer once again took the lead in the world rankings. He is currently still in 5th place.
Wife Mirka would like to save the children the trip to Australia and the associated quarantine in the hotel room.
© AP, Kathy Willens
Federer’s main focus is on the summer with Wimbledon (starting June 28), his fifth personal Olympic Games in Tokyo (starting July 24) and the US Open (starting August 30). If the tournament calendar is largely spared from the corona pandemic, which cannot be assumed, it seems unlikely that the 20-time Grand Slam winner will endanger these goals by participating in the French Open (from May 23) where he has little chance of winning a title. And that was, is and will remain the standard by which Roger Federer will be measured in the last months of his career. And completely independent of quarantine regulations.
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