MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Victoria’s state government on Friday confirmed one new case of COVID-19 in the quarantine group in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, just hours after Spanish player Paula Badosa said that she had tested positive for the virus. .
Badosa was the first player to enter the Grand Slam next month to prove a positive test, although four were among the 10 cases announced earlier in the week.
There has been confusion over the exact numbers, however, with several test results reclassified by Victorian health authorities as “viral shedding” from previous infections.
Badosa, world number 67, flew to Australia from Abu Dhabi and was halfway through the 14 quarantine days when her test returned positive and she was transferred to a “health hotel”.
“I feel sick and have symptoms, but I will try to get over it as soon as possible by listening to the doctors,” the 23-year-old tweeted.
While most players are able to train for up to five hours per day, as many as 72 players have been squeezed into their hotel rooms after some passengers on the three charter flights they took to Australia were well confirmed.
The Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) on Thursday complained to the organizers of the tournament about the treatment of two of the restricted ones – the Spaniards Mario Vilella and Carlos Alcaraz.
In a statement, the RFET said that the players were not told that they would be strictly confined to their rooms if they were on a flight with someone who confirmed that they were positive “no matter how close they were. ”.
The alliance said it was clear the duo would not be able to compete on “equal terms” at the Grand Slam and that the restriction could cause physical and psychological harm.
“We urge Tennis Australia to seek a solution to the problem of the most influential tennis players,” the statement concluded.
Australian Tennis was not immediately available for comment.
Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, edited by Shri Navaratnam