BEVERLY HILLS, January 22, (THEWILL) – Former world number one tennis player Sir Andy Murray has confirmed he will unfortunately not play at this tennis season’s first Grand Slam, the 2021 Australian Open. This is because of the COVID-19 virus he possibly contracted from the Roehampton’s National Tennis Centre where the bulk of his preparations took place.
Making this news public, Murray said: “Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open.”
The very strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place in Melbourne have been religiously upheld by organisers of the event and Tennis Australia even to the discomfort of several players. Attempts by Murray and his team to provide some leeway within the very strict quarantine regime to travel did not work out.
“We’ve been in constant dialogue…to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work,” Murray said.
“I want to thank everyone there for their efforts, I’m devastated not to be playing out in Australia. It’s a country and tournament that I love.”
The 33-year-old Brit one was unable to travel to Melbourne on a charter flight and enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine with the rest of the field because of his positive test result.
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While all these attempts to get him in went on, he remained in isolation at home in the UK. His wild card entry into the Grand Slam notwithstanding, without his ability to observe the mandatory quarantine period for all players participating in the Australian Open, there is no chance of him playing.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
