MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – One new case of the coronavirus was confirmed in the state of Victoria in Australia on Friday. It was found in a person who was quarantined in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, a few hours after Spanish player Paula Badosa said she had tested positive.
Badosa is the first player to test positive although four were among the 10 cases announced earlier this week.
There has been confusion regarding the number of infections as several test results were later classified by Victorian authorities as “viral shedding” from earlier infections.
World number 67 Badosa came to Australia from Abu Dhabi in the UAE and was halfway through her 14-day hotel quarantine when her result returned positive and the player had to be moved to a “health hotel”.
“I’m feeling unwell and have symptoms, but I’ll try to recover as soon as possible listening to the doctors,” tweeted the 23-year-old.
In fact, most players are allowed to train for up to five hours while 72 have been forced to remain confined to their hotel rooms after some passengers on their charter flights tested positive.
Badosa was one of the players who complained to authorities about the strict pandemic curbs in place by the local government.
“Please, don’t get me wrong. Health will always come first and I feel grateful for being in Australia,” she said on Twitter.
“Quarantine and preventive measures are pivotal right now. I talked about rules that changed overnight but I understand the sad situation we are living. Sorry guys. Stay safe.”
On Thursday, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) lodged a complaint to tournament hosts about the treatment of two of those who were confined – Mario Vilella and Carlos Alcaraz.
The federation issued a statement saying the two players had not been told they would be confined to their rooms if they arrived on a flight with someone who tested positive “regardless of the physical proximity”.
According to the federation, it was clear that the duo would not be in a position to compete on “equal terms” at the Grand Slam. The confinement could result in physical and psychological harm.
“We ask Tennis Australia to try to solve the problem of the most affected tennis players,” it said in the statement.