Australian Federation and Australian Open boss Craig Tiley at a press conference, February 4, 2021. -

Tennis Australia / AP / SIPA

A health bubble will be put in place around Australian Open players so that the tournament can continue after the announcement of a five-day lockdown in Melbourne, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Friday.

“The game will continue.

A health bubble will be set up for the players.

Based on the feedback we have, the players just want to keep playing.

They've been in bubbles for a year, he said.

Only players and their teams, as well as members of staff who will not be able to do their work from home, will be allowed on the site.

"

The English variant detected in a hotel

A new five-day confinement was decreed in Melbourne on Friday by the Australian authorities in the midst of the Australian Open, in an attempt to stem a possible resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic, following the discovery of several cases contamination, in particular with the English variant, within a hotel.

Following the announcement, the organizers of the Australian Open have indicated that the tournament will continue behind closed doors from Saturday and at least until Wednesday.

"We are informing ticket holders, players and staff that as of midnight Saturday (Australian time) there will be no spectators at the Australian Open venue for the next 5 days," said the tournament leadership announced in a press release, indicating that a refund system will be put in place.

The program of Friday's matches, with world number 1 Novak Djokovic in particular against American Taylor Fritz or the duel between local darling Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem, is unchanged.

Preparations for the tournament, which had been postponed by three weeks due to the coronavirus, had already been greatly complicated by the epidemic.

All the players and accredited members (staff, entourage, referees, etc.) had to submit to a strict fortnight on their arrival.

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