The return of the tennis world to normal will have taken less than a week.
After opening its gates to 30,000 fans a day and rediscovering the sound of a raucous Grand Slam tennis tournament, the Australian Open will move behind closed doors from Saturday following the announcement of a five-day lockdown in the state of Victoria.
The decision came in response to a cluster of new Covid-19 cases in a region where the virus was largely contained and the arrival of new, more contagious variants in Australia. The tournament will continue, in fact in a bubble similar to last fall’s French Open, with the intention of bringing the audience back in time for the women’s semi-finals next week.
But the start of the lockdown, which began at 11:59 p.m. local time, was so abrupt that Novak Djokovic’s victory against Taylor Fritz had to be interrupted in the fourth set. The clock was ticking towards midnight and the fans had to be led outside.
“I will not waste words: today hurts. Victorians know better than anyone how deeply, ”said Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews. But as we’ve seen – here in Australia and around the world – we’re facing a new kind of enemy. A virus that is smarter, faster and more contagious. “