'We all knew what to expect in Australia,' says Dominic Thiem

World no. 3 and the Australian Open runner-up Dominic Thiem is preparing for the new season in Adelaide, enduring a two-week quarantine before the Melbourne trip.

The Austrian talked about his quarantine experience in Adelaide and mentioned those who can't go out and practice in Melbourne. The Austrian reminded that they all knew what to expect Down Under, although he feels for those who can't train ahead of the season's first Major, realizing it is a massive disadvantage.

"It's been crazy Down Under, but we knew what to expect. Here in Australia, it's a bit stricter again, which is understandable. The coronavirus is almost extinct in their country, and they want to prevent it from being brought back in. We can train for about two hours a day and go out for about four hours. The rest of the time is spent in the hotel. Honestly, for the 70 players who were on the planes, it is, of course, very bitter.

They will undoubtedly be at a serious competitive disadvantage once the matches start, that's for sure. There are still nine days until the start of the Australian Open, but in contrast to the others who can train normally, this is a considerable disadvantage; there's no need to discuss that. It was unbelievably unfortunate for them, and I feel very sorry for them. But of course, everyone knew what they were getting into.

Tennis Australia and the whole country have tried everything to let the tournament take place, which is also a sensational achievement. It sounds harsh now, but there are only 70 players in quarantine, everyone else in Melbourne can train normally, but it would be unfair to everyone else who made the long journey if the tournament were to be canceled now. It was everybody's own decision to travel here; nobody had to do it.

I believe the tournament will take place. 2020 was sensational from a sporting point of view. The feeling of winning a Major was the best I've ever experienced in my tennis career; I want to achieve that again, and Paris is probably the big goal. It's probably been my favorite tournament since my junior final, and I've always played very well there in the last few years. Next to the other big tournaments, it's the event that has the highest priority," Dominic Thiem said.