The "miracle of Melbourne is just a day away from occurring" as the biggest stars in tennis gather in Victoria for three weeks of tournaments beginning on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open beginning Feb. 8. A fortnight after their arrival into Melbourne and Adelaide, "the majority of tennis players have completed their quarantine obligations and are free to compete." After the "storm surrounding the decision to proceed with the Australian Open," the action "now swings to the courts at Melbourne Park."
The Australian tennis summer began Friday with an exhibition in Adelaide, "though that was not without a drama of its own," as Novak Djokovic was "initially absent" from his clash against Italy’s Jannick Sinner, "citing a hand blister." The Serbian eventually swapped places with Filip Krajinovic. He said of playing in front of fans, "We didn’t play in front of this much crowd for 12 months, so this is definitely something very special" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/29). Thousands of cheering fans "packed the stands," with hardly a "face mask to be seen." In an unusual scene for the coronavirus pandemic, the crowd of 4,000 "sat cheek by jowl" to see players including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka (CNN, 1/29).
The Australian Open has "long been the jewel in Melbourne’s sporting crown," but some local residents "fear the Grand Slam could yet prove a poisoned chalice." Unlike at last year’s French and U.S. Opens, where the focus was on "minimizing the risk of infection to the players," the measures in place for the Australian Open "are to protect locals." Melbourne was the epicenter of Australia’s largest second wave outbreak, as an outbreak in mid-'20 killed nearly 800 (REUTERS, 1/29).
