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Melbourne (dpa) - A few days before the start of the Australian Open, the tennis tour is threatened again with a corona chaos of unimagined proportions, which even puts the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, which is planned for Monday, at risk.
Because a hotel employee tested positive for the corona virus, according to Australian media reports, around 500 to 600 players and officials of the Australian Open Bubble have to go into quarantine because they may have had contact with the hotel employee.
All those affected should now be tested, all games in Melbourne Park have been canceled for Thursday, as the organizers announced.
This also affects the German men's match at the ATP Cup against Serbia and Angelique Kerber's round of 16 against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur at one of the WTA tournaments.
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The authorities of the state of Victoria had announced that the test of a 26-year-old employee at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the majority of tennis professionals spent the 14-day quarantine after arriving in Melbourne, had yielded a positive result.
According to the newspaper "The Age", all persons who stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel between January 29 and February 2 are affected by the quarantine.
It was
not
initially clear which tennis professionals had to go into isolation
.
According to her management, Germany's top player Angelique Kerber left the Grand Hyatt Hotel with her team on January 29 after the end of her 14-day quarantine and moved into another hotel.
It was initially unclear whether she was one of those affected.
Kerber had already spent two weeks in strict quarantine because there was a Corona case on her flight to Australia.
72 players and supervisors were then not allowed to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days.
Alexander Zverev and his team were not affected by this, they don't seem to have to isolate themselves now because they are staying in another hotel.
Zverev's older brother Mischa, who recently became the manager of Germany's number one, had more detailed information, but not yet.
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Hygiene restrictions were reintroduced across Victoria after the new Corona case, and massive contact tracing was set in motion, Victoria's Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said at an emergency press conference.
"These people are being isolated until they test negative," said Andrews.
A cancellation of the Australian Open has not yet been planned.
The new case has "no impact on the Australian Open," said Andrews.
In view of the new Corona case, sport moved into the background for the time being.
From a German perspective there were positive results.
At the ATP Cup, the German team won 2-1 against Canada.
Alexander Zverev was happy about his first victory in the team competition introduced in 2020.
"To win something for your country is one of the greatest things there is in sport," said the US Open finalist after his three-set win over Denis Shapovalov, with whom he made the success against Canada prematurely perfect.
Jan-Lennard Struff had previously prevailed against Milos Raonic in two tight tie-break sets.
The final defeat of Struff and Kevin Krawietz in doubles was of no consequence.
Last year Zverev had lost all three of his singles at the ATP Cup and sometimes showed terrifying performances.
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In the Grampians Trophy, which was specially included in the program for those affected by the two-week quarantine, Kerber won her opening match 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 3 against Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic and, given the adverse preparation, showed a good performance.
Then she sauntered into the cabin, satisfied.
At this point in time, she had no inkling of the chaos that followed shortly afterwards.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210203-99-287295 / 4
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