The Scot told British media on Friday that Andy Murray would definitely not participate in the Australian Open. The world’s number one player could not find a solution with the Australian Tennis Federation to be quarantined before the tournament in Melbourne.
The 33-year-old Murray tested positive for the Coronavirus more than a week ago, and was thus unable to travel to Australia with a private chartered trip for the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season. All players must be quarantined for a period of fourteen days upon arrival in Australia.
It did indeed look like Murray would not be in time for the tournament due to the quarantine commitment. The five-time losing finalists in the Australian Open in recent days with the Australian Tennis Federation looked for an alternative to travel to Melbourne, but this has not been found.
“I regret to say that I will not travel to Australia,” Murray said on Friday. “We have been in a constant discussion trying to find a solution that would allow some form of practical quarantine, but nothing. I would like to thank everyone for all their efforts.”
Murray, who fell to 123rd in the world rankings due to injuries, received a wildcard card from the organization for the tournament in Melbourne at the end of December. The lucky loser (the player who was eliminated from the qualifying tournament) will replace Murray.
The Australian Open starts on February 8 and runs until February 21. The draw for the first round is on February 4th. Arantxa Rus and Botic van de Zandschulp are the only Dutch participants.
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