Tennis: Australian Open Loosens COVID Rules

Facts

• On Monday, Australian Open director Craig Tiley announced that players won’t have to be tested for COVID, and could even play if they have the virus at this year’s tournament.
• Tiley noted that the Australian Open’s policy is in line with what’s gone on in the wider community. He called it a “normalised environment” [sic] and compared tennis’s situation with that of cricket.
• Last week, cricketer Matt Renshaw played for Australia in a five-day test match despite having tested positive for COVID.
• The Australian Open’s more loose attitude toward COVID stands in contrast to restrictions at the event over the past two years. In 2021, the tournament took place in a “bubble,” where players were required to be vaccinated and tested daily; if they tested positive, they were required to isolate.
• Last year, nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, wasn’t able to compete in the tournament because he was deported over a disagreement about his vaccination status and the country’s COVID policy.
• The Australian Open is scheduled to start next week with Djokovic back to compete.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Independent, BBC News, and FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Tennis Net. Players can rejoice knowing they’ll be able to play the 2022 Australian Open under pre-COVID circumstances. It’s great that after last year’s debacle with Djokovic, the tournament has decided to avoid controversy and just let the players play.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Age. The COVID crisis is far from over, as a new subvariant is skirting immunity and causing a major wave to roll through Australia. In addition to putting the players’ health at risk, this sets a terrible example for the community as a whole.