
Following the surge in Covid-19 cases down under, several Australian tennis players were concerned that their preparations for the 2022 Australian Open would be compromised. However, with the news that fully vaccinated international travelers can enter the country without quarantining, there seems to be some relief for returning Aussie players.
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty cut her season short after the US Open, opting to skip the WTA Finals and return home in order to get adequate preparation for the Australian Open. Fellow Queenslander John Millman had been away from home since January 15, as returning would have forced him to spend two weeks in quarantine. However, the World No.69 is pleased by this new development, which allows him more time to train and spend with family.
"Until the NSW premier came out of the blue and opened up the country, it looked like I probably wasn't going to get home," he told AAP from Europe. But it looks like after Davis Cup I'll get a flight to NSW and spend 14 days there and then hopefully cross the border.
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"At least it's not in hotel quarantine and I can train because that's a brutal experience and also not ideal doing your pre-season in a hotel room. Then I can cross the border a day or two before Christmas.
"I'm looking forward to seeing family, that's for sure. You start to appreciate things when they get taken away from you."
Sydney-born Alex De Minaur hopes to return home and enjoy some time with his family, before beginning his rigorous training for the Australian Open.
"It's been a pretty rough year for Australians on tour," de Minaur told AAP. "So to not have to quarantine is a bonus."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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- "Priorities", Saba... spend less time in front of cameras, anti-Social Media, selfies and back to Tennis.
mandoist12-11-2026 - Tell this to Andreeva!
mandoist12-11-2026 - Andreeva with 11 games in a row to add to Saba's downward spiral issue !!! Personal feelings aside... Jess Pegula may want to reassess her evaluation of Mirra's abilities.
mandoist12-11-2026 - I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
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mandoist09-11-2026 - Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!
mandoist09-11-2026 - "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?
mandoist09-11-2026 - Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.
mandoist08-11-2026 - Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??
mandoist08-11-2026








