In an unusual scene for the coronavirus pandemic, the crowd of 4,000 came face to face as big hitters, including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka emerged from their 14-day quarantine to play exhibition matches before the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne next month.
The scene generated joy on social networks.
“My heart is filled with seeing fans in the stands. Well done, Australia!” Former world No. 1 male player Andy Roddick said on
your Twitter account.Australia has had 12 days without local infection in any of its states or territories, Health Minister Greg Hunt said at a news conference on Friday.
“This is proof (not just) of the work of our medical professionals, of our public health teams, but of Australians everywhere, by the way they observed the distance requirements, the way they protected each other, the the way they ‘came for testing,’ Hunt told reporters.
Australia’s difficult approach to coronavirus has been controversial before the Open, with some players arriving from abroad frustrated by being quarantined.
Some resorted to social media to complain, while others published lists of demands to Australian authorities. But speaking to CNN from the quarantine earlier this week, Nadal said his fellow stars should have a “broader perspective”.
“I’m sorry for all of them, but when we came here, we knew that the measures would be strict because we knew that the country is doing very well with the pandemic,” Nadal told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.
To date, Australia has reported 28,800 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 909 deaths.
The Australian Open will begin on February 8 in Melbourne and will last two weeks. Friday’s friendly matches opened the official stage for the international tennis competition, and saw Williams and Novak Djokovic win tough fights.
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