Australian Open 2021 to Host a Massive Audience Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Australia is one of the nations that has been successful in managing the coronavirus pandemic to a great extent. It has minimized the number of cases, and the government is confident of hosting fans in the stadiums now. It is really great news for the Australian Open 2021, as players will be able to get the support of their fans after almost a year.

Recently, Victoria’s chief health officer gave approval for 25,000 to 30,000 spectators a day to attend the Australian Open 2021.

There are estimates that around 390K people will be able to witness the matches live over the course of the event. According to the COVIDSafe plan, 30,000 people will be able to attend the event for the starting eight days. However, after that, only 25,000 people will be allowed to watch the event in stadiums during the quarter-final stage.

Tennis will finally return to normal at the Australian Open 2021

It has been quite a while since players saw fans supporting them in stadiums. They will also be happy to play in front of a huge crowd at the upcoming Grand Slam. In an interview, Victorian Minister for Sports, Martin Pakula, assured that there would be an incredible environment at the major next week.

“That means on Rod Laver Arena, as we get to the end of the tournament, we’ll have an incredible atmosphere, not that different to the atmosphere we’ve seen in all the opens in years past,” said Pakula.

He also highlighted that although the atmosphere won’t be entirely the same as it used to be, it will still be better than the one that the fans had seen for most of 2020.

“It will not be the same as the last few years, but it will be the most significant international event with crowds that the world has seen for many, many months,” concluded the minister.

Players also enjoy freedom as their strict quarantine ends

Many players have claimed that the Australian Open 2021 bubble was quite strict. However, since their 14-day quarantine is over now, they now have a bit of freedom again. Many players, including Fabio Fognini, Heather Watson, and Johanna Konta, recently went out and celebrated their day in Melbourne.

Italian player Fabio Fognini also went out with his friends and wrote that he felt like a free bird.

“Free as a bird It’s the next best thing to be,” tweeted Fognini.

The credit undoubtedly goes to Tennis Australia for organizing the tournament at such a crucial time. It is also a victory of the Victorian government that made it possible to host around 30,000 people daily.

The Australian Open 2021 is now just a week away. It’ll be intriguing to see whether the presence of fans will act as an additional benefit for players like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams or not.

Also Read: Australian Open 2021 Covid-19 rules- A complete to the health and safety protocols