With the relaxation of the precautionary restrictions imposed in Austria due to the Corona pandemic, tennis players can return to the stadiums and matches, observing the rules and restrictions for avoiding infection and playing games in singles only without contact or handshaking between the players and not touching the balls of each other.
The Austrian government led by the Conservatives allowed the return of some sports that are compatible with the rules of social separation, including tennis, starting from the beginning of this May in the framework of the second wave of easing restrictions imposed by the highly contagious virus alongside golf, horse riding, bow and arrow competitions and archery.
Austria imposed closures for fear of infection seven weeks ago and eased it for the first time on April 14th, when it allowed the opening of some stores and some people to go out for jogging and walking despite the continued closure of most sports clubs so far.
In a club in an upscale area of the capital Vienna, a player named Yannis said, "During the quarantine period, I used to play the game on the walls and now I am happy to play on the field."
And the rules of playing tennis in the club include the need for players to reach the club in full game uniforms in light of the closures of the dressing rooms. Also, each player must have a set of his own balls, and he must not touch the opponent's balls or touch the opponent personally, and it is also prohibited to hold doubles matches or play in closed places.
"Of course the players will adhere to the new rules and we are monitoring that. They are very committed and I think the pleasure of playing the game will nullify any desire to take any risk," said Smattering Sun co-owner Dieter Mocker.
"Of course people miss the matches of doubles. About 80 percent of the members want to play in doubles. We hope this is possible in a short time," added Mucker.
"The past few weeks have been very bad, in the absence of any training, I have walked a little, but otherwise I did not do anything," said player Michaella Fernie.
"Not meeting tennis friends has had a huge negative impact on the quality of my life ... Now the conditions are very good and now I have a new experience of being able to move outside the doors of the house and meet with good friends despite some restrictions," added Ferney, who is keen to play regularly.