As news broke on Friday that Melbourne would head into a snap lockdown to contain an outbreak of COVID-19, Serena Williams was already on court at the Australian Open playing potentially her last match in front of crowds at the tournament. After completing a 7-6(5) 6-2 win in the sunshine over Russian Anastasia Potapova, Williams was asked about the lockdown which will begin on Saturday.
“Actually, I didn’t know at all until the match was over. I think it’s good that I didn’t know…It’s rough. It’s going to be a rough few days for I think everyone. But we’ll hopefully get through it,” she said.
Barring the home hero and world number one Ash Barty, Williams is arguably the hottest ticket in the women’s draw at Melbourne Park, where she has won seven titles.
“I feel like I’ve always had a great reaction from the Australian crowd, to be honest,” said the American. I wouldn’t be in Australia if I didn’t love what I do,” said Williams, who will face seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka for a place in the quarter-finals.
The Australian Open tennis tournament will proceed without crowds over the next five days after the state of Victoria was placed under a snap lockdown from midnight on Friday to contain a fresh outbreak of COVID-19. State Premier Daniel Andrews announced the measures after the highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 linked to Britain infected 13 people in Melbourne.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said the tournament would continue with crowds for the rest of Friday, but fans would be excluded from Saturday.
The players will enter a biosecure “bubble” from Saturday morning similar to ones that have operated at tournaments around the world for much of the last 12 months.
Andrews earlier said the Australian Open would be treated like any other professional sporting event in the state until the lockdown ended on Wednesday night.
Grand slam champions Naomi Osaka and Garbine Muguruza also spoke about the new lockdown.
“I’m not really sure. That kind of seems a bit funny. But I don’t know; I don’t make the rules. I’m just here just trying to, I don’t know, just having fun,” Osaka said on tennis players being deemed as ‘essential workers’ as Melbourne enters lockdown, while Muguruza was just pleased to keep playing. “We are happy that we can continue the tournament. I feel like that’s always something that is not in our control. They can say, Okay, you know what, this Australian Open tournament, we kind of freeze it. I’m happy that the tournament is going to go on,” she said.
Crowds at Melbourne Park were capped at 30 000 per day at the start of the tournament, around 50% of the usual attendance, but only 21 000 came through the gates on Thursday. Fans who had already bought tickets will get a refund.
