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Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponant Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Serena Williams of The United States is congratulated by her sister and opponant Venus Williams of The United States following their ladies singles third round match on Day Five of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Tennis Australia has come up with a ‘two-bubble’ formula at the upcoming Australian Open 2021. As per it, there will be two different quarantines for different players traveling to Australia for the Grand Slam.
The difference is that some elite players like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic will be under quarantine in Adelaide. On the other hand, other than the top three players, the remaining ones will be in a bubble in Melbourne itself.
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The giant Australian Open logo is seen full of tennis balls ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 05, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
However, amid strict restrictions, Tennis Australia has decided to relax certain relaxations in some protocols. An official confirmed that players acting as hitting partners for those who have been invited to the event will also be able to travel to Adelaide.
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Same for Jannik Sinner, Dennis Novak or Filip Krajinovic, for example. https://t.co/zc3Ekmy7Eg
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 10, 2021
This would mean that Venus Williams will be able to travel along with Serena to Adelaide. It would also mean that along with Jannik Sinner, either Dennis Novak or Filip Krajinovic, can travel to Adelaide. It will certainly be beneficial for players, as they will not have to find new hitting partners in their quarantine break.
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Novak Djokovic expresses disagreement with the idea of the Australian Open management
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves during his Men’s Singles second-round match against Tatsuma Ito of Japan on day three of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The idea of keeping two separate bubbles is something unique. According to it, the elite male and female players will travel to Adelaide where there would be an exhibition on January 29. On the other hand, the remaining players will travel to Melbourne directly for the quarantine. Although the places are different, the protocols remain the same and each player will have to follow a 14-day quarantine.
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World No.1 Novak Djokovic seems quite unhappy with the idea. The Serbian, who has always advocated equality among players, would have surely wanted a common bubble. As of now, there is skepticism over whether the defending champion will even travel to Adelaide or not.
Djokovic will begin his 2021 campaign at the ATP Cup 2021. He will next move to the Grand Slam, where he will surely be eyeing his 18th Grand Slam title. Will Djokovic be able to defend his title successfully in Melbourne or not?
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