In an unusual scene for the coronavirus pandemic, the crowd of 4,000 people sat on their cheeks as the big hitters, including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, came out of their 14-day quarantine to play home games. ‘exhibition before the first big ham of the year in Melbourne next month.
The scene brought joy to social media.
“It makes me heartbroken to see the fans in the stands. Well done Australia!” said former No. 1 male American player Andy Roddick
your Twitter account.Australia has had twelve days without local infection in any of its states or territories, Health Minister Greg Hunt said at a news conference on Friday.
“This is a testament (not only) to the work of our medical professionals, our public health teams, but Australians everywhere for the way they have observed distancing requirements, the way they have protected each other. , the way “I went out to the tests,” Hunt told reporters.
Australia’s tough approach to coronavirus has been controversial before the Open, with some players arriving from overseas frustrated to be in quarantine.
Some took to social media to complain, while others issued lists of lawsuits to Australian authorities. But speaking to CNN since his forties earlier this week, Nadal said his fellow stars should have a “broader perspective.”
“I feel very sorry for everyone, but when we got here, we knew the measures would be strict because we knew the country was doing very well with the pandemic,” Nadal told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.
To date, Australia has reported 28,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 909 deaths.
The Australian Open will start on February 8 in Melbourne and will last two weeks. Friday’s exhibition matches were the official backdrop for the international tennis competition and saw Williams and Novak Djokovic win fought matches.
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