Tennis: Australian Open Loosens COVID Rules

Image copyright: independent

The Facts

  • On Monday, Australian Open director Craig Tiley announced that players won’t have to be tested for COVID, and could even play if they have the virus at this year’s tournament.

  • Tiley noted that the Australian Open’s policy is in line with what’s gone on in the wider community. He called it a “normalised [sic] environment” and compared tennis’s situation with that of cricket.


The Spin

Narrative A

Players can rejoice knowing they’ll be able to play the 2022 Australian Open under pre-COVID circumstances. It’s great that after last year’s debacle with Djokovic, the tournament has decided to avoid controversy and just let the players play.

Narrative B

The COVID crisis is far from over, as a new subvariant is skirting immunity and causing a major wave to roll through Australia. In addition to putting the players’ health at risk, this sets a terrible example for the community as a whole.


Articles on this story

Sign up to our daily newsletter