The world's best tennis players have not been exempt from Australia's strict hotel quarantine regulations ahead of the Australian Open Grand Slam.
Of all the players set to compete in their first major of the tennis season, 72 are now in hard quarantine after some charter flights were affected by positive COVID-19 cases.
The flights arrived between Thursday evening and Saturday morning with travellers tested for COVID-19 before they boarded and after landing in Australia.
Unlike regular arrivals, players and coaches are allowed to leave their hotel rooms for up to five hours a day for training purposes only. The modified quarantine agreement requires a negative test after day two of isolation and players will be tested daily for 14 days.
However, if the players were on a flight with a confirmed case, they and anyone who travelled on that flight must remain in full isolation in their room, without training, for a fortnight.
The requirements sparked outrage with some players suggesting on social media that they weren't properly informed of the risks.
The Australian Open is scheduled to begin on February 8th with organiser Craig Tilley stating there will be no further delays.
