Despite the numerous complaints from players who have been placed in quarantine following their arrival in Melbourne, former WTA World No.1 Victoria Azarenka has tried to remain the voice of reason.
The two-time Grand Slam champion penned an open letter on Tuesday, calling for all players and coaches to respect the health regulations put in place by Melbourne authorities ahead of next month's Australian Open.
There has been widespread criticism from several players including World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who have spoken against the need for an enforced 14-day hotel quarantine. This comes after more than 70 players and their entourages were placed in self-isolation after passengers on three charter flights to Australia tested positive for the coronavirus. In addition to complaints about the food and internet service, the quarantine also limits the players abilities to train for the first Grand Slam of the season.
Nonetheless, Azarenka implored her fellow players to remain calm and follow the health protocols put in place by the government, citing state Premier Daniel Andrews claim that this was essential to stop the spread of the virus.
"To be in a 14-day quarantine is very tough to accept in terms of all the work that everyone has been putting in during their off-season - to be prepared for playing our first Grand Slam of the year,” the Belarusian said.
“I understand all the frustration and feeling of unfairness that has been coming and it is overwhelming.
“Sometimes things happen and we need to accept, adapt and keep moving!”
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley, who had a call with 500 players to address concerns, said on Tuesday the “vast majority” had been supportive of the country’s strict health protocols.
With Australia’s hard-line border controls keeping daily numbers of new coronavirus cases at zero or low single digits, Azarenka said the players must do everything to support the local community.
“I would like to ask all of us to respect people who work tirelessly to try and make our lives easier,” she added.
The Australian Open begins on February 8 and will have a limited number of fans in attendance.
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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