WASHINGTON, May 7, 2020 (by Michael Dickens)
Tennis Australia chief executive and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has conceded that next year’s annual summer of tennis “will be compromised” as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has grounded pro tennis since early March.
In an interview Wednesday with Australian Associated Press, Tiley expressed this bleak thought: “Worst-case scenario is no AO (Australian Open).
“Our best-case scenario at this point is having an AO with players that we can get in here with quarantining techniques and Australian-only fans.”
Since this year’s Australian Open, which took place against the backdrop of bushfires across portions of the Australian continent but was fortunate enough to have been staged, the global Covid-19 pandemic has affected each of the other Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon cancelled its fortnight for the first time since World War II; the French Open unilaterally moved its late-spring event out to late September; and as of now, while the US Open still plans to go ahead as scheduled in New York, it’s becoming clearer that it too will likely fall victim of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown. Either the US Open will have to be played without spectators, moved to Indian Wells, or be cancelled all together.
Tiley, who is becoming resigned to both the ATP and WTA tours likely being grounded for the rest of the 2020 season due to international travel restrictions, is putting together a series of substantial contingency plans with a goal of saving next year’s Australian Open. He outlined them during his AAP interview:
“We’ve modeled the times we have to make decisions, dates we have to make decision, who it impacts, how it’s going to impact them,” Tiley said.
“We’ve done that for 670 staff. We’ve done that for all of our partners – our media partners, our sponsors and for all the governments and places we rent facilities (from).
“And now we’re working on the international playing group and getting them to understand what each of those scenarios are and what it means for them and how we can action it.”
The subject of Tiley’s comments was amplified by Tennis Channel commentator Mary Carillo, who during a round table discussion on Wednesday’s Tennis Channel Live, remarked: “This is a guy, in Tiley, who eight months out is already taking a very sober look at what’s happening with the world. The fact that there’s no cure, there’s no vaccine. I wish there were more leaders like Craig Tiley instead of everyone saying ‘look, we will decide in June.’ This guy is basically saying ‘we know how rough it is, we know how important it is to get this right.’”
Meanwhile, Tennis Australia soon will unveil plans for a domestic Pro Series for leading Australian players that potentially could be played across the country if state border restrictions allow.
Djokovic skirts hitting controversy
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic practiced on Monday in the coastal Spanish city of Marbella, where he has been quarantining with his family, as evidenced by an Instagram video shot by the 17-time Grand Slam champion using his cellphone as he hit. Djokovic posted a comment saying he was “so happy to play on clay … well, just for a bit with my phone in the hands.”
Guess what? It turns out that Djokovic jumped the gun. That’s because elite players apparently are not authorized to use club courts in Spain until May 11. However, according to Spanish-language daily El País, the hotel where Djokovic hit at says it gave him incorrect information and later apologized for the error.
Quarantine activities – Naomi Osaka
During an Instagram Live conversation this week with Venus Williams, two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka revealed how shes been spending her quarantine time in California.
“I’m kind of doing nothing. I’d did a serious leg workout a couple of days ago, and I’m still sore!” Osaka said, as quoted by the WTA Tour website. “I’m hitting, but I’m not working out – it’s more to make sure that I can still put the ball in the court.
“I was reading Kobe’s book … and I’m thinking about re-reading (Andre) Agassi’s book, Open. It’s was a really good. I read it a lot during car rides to tournaments.”
Quarantine activities. pic.twitter.com/4wVKAWDlR2
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 2, 2020
Behind The Racquet – Pierre-Hugues Herbert
In his recent first-person essay for the Instagram series Behind The Racquet, France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert described the risks his family took when he was younger in order to advance his budding tennis career and the later rewards. “I have always been someone who loved team sports. I played football until I was 14 years old. I loved the fact that we were young kids playing for one another. I always played better when it was more than just me. It’s something I found in my doubles career, not being this egocentric player on the court. Between doubles, or having my family by my side, it has always been important to play for more than myself.”
What they’re sharing on social media
Roger Federer / Now more than ever we must come together …
Now more than ever we must come together to help families in need 🙏 https://t.co/c8fhhyRBIi
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 6, 2020
Novak and Maria / Sharing laughter on Instagram Live
“We’re not going to start hugging trees, right?”@MariaSharapova with the one-liners for @DjokerNole today. 🤣#tennisathome pic.twitter.com/bweyZMuJ2v
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 5, 2020
Andrea Petkovic / First outing into the public work in six weeks
First outing into the public world in 6 weeks to buy a pot. 2/10 would not recommend. pic.twitter.com/TOWYTMVwlL
— Andrea Petkovic (@andreapetkovic) May 5, 2020
Madison Keys / Healthcare workers on the front lines are #TheRealHeroes
