with thousands of real live fans, the Australian Open is set to present a truly shocking event in 2021: a major tennis tournament with a full house of real live fans.
Some 30,000 spectators a day are expected in Melbourne for what is turning into one of the most ambitious sporting events of the pandemic era. There have been weeks of charter flights, massive quarantines, and impromptu tune-up tournaments, all designed to deliver an approximation of the year’s first major.
And for the most part, it has worked. Despite complaints about cabin fever and the quality of room service, the sport’s superstars are all where they’re supposed to be and ready to play two weeks of tennis. Nine of the top 10 women in the world are due to play, along with nine of the top 10 men; only Roger Federer is out as he recovers from knee surgery.
But organizers are constantly reminded of how fragile the whole operation is. After a security guard at a tournament hotel tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, hundreds of players and staff were once again locked down pending negative tests. All of Thursday’s matches at Melbourne Park were suspended and the main tournament draw had to be delayed.
If the reaction seems extreme, it’s because the Australian state of Victoria has the virus under relative control—and it intends to keep it that way. Organizers insisted that it wouldn’t impact the tournament.
Not shocking at all
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