Australian Open players are not happy thattennis ' top names are getting special treatment from the tournament's organizers.- Players such as
Novak Djokovic ,Rafael Nadal , and Naomi Osaka are currently residing in Adelaide ahead of the tournament, where quarantine rules are more relaxed. - The rest of the players are under strict rules in Melbourne, over 400 miles away.
- A post on Twitter by Osaka, showing her on court with several coaches, caused a "revolt" among some players, one journalist said.
A number of Australian Open players are becoming increasingly annoyed that the tennis' biggest names are seemingly getting special treatment from tournament organizers by being allowed to quarantine away from the rest of the camp.
Players such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka, and Serena Williams are currently staying and training in Adelaide ahead of a pre-Open exhibition tournament on January 29.
According to Eurosport, players in Adelaide have access to a 24-hour gym and are able to train outside for up to five hours each day with multiple coaching staff.
The majority of players, however, are residing in Melbourne, over 400 miles away from Adelaide, and where the tournament will actually be played.
Most players in Melbourne are under a strict training timetable that grants them a maximum of five hours per day out of their rooms, including a limit 130 minutes on the court per day with one coach.
Seventy-two of the tournament's players, however, are in full quarantine for 14-days after positive coronavirus test results were recorded on three separate inbound flights - leaving them entirely confined to their rooms.
Many are training using improvised methods like hitting balls at the walls of their hotel rooms, and lifting furniture.
Complaints have also been made about the food, while Kazakh player Yulia Putintseva recorded videos of multiple mice in her room.
"It's not apples and apples here"
World No. 72 Jeremy Chardy is one of those unhappy at the preferential treatment of the players in Adelaide.
"They will even be able to benefit from a gym at the hotel and will be able to do their [gym] exercises which will not count towards the five-hour quota. Everyone can go out. They will almost be able to live normally," the Frenchman told L'Equipe, as per Eurosport.
"Already they have a lot of privileges. If they can do everything more than you, it will not be the same preparation. And that's weird for a sport where we're all supposed to be on the same footing."
Austria's Philipp Oswald told Tennisnet: "Conditions are much better in Adelaide. First, players were allowed to take a lot more staff with them. [Daniil] Medvedev and [Alexander] Zverev, for example, were only allowed to take two people with them, while Thiem, Nadal and Djokovic each came with ten people.
"They also have a gym in their hotel. So they don't have to do their fitness exercises during the five-hour period. You only have the five hours to play tennis."
Oswald, who is one of the player's in full quarantine in Melbourne, added: "It's not apples and apples here, but apples and pears - and I caught the sour lemon."
Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim reported on January 17 that players in Adelaide have been "encouraged to stop with social media posts" by tournament organizers because they have "en-flamed tensions."
A day prior, Naomi Osaka had posted videos and a photo of her and four support staff training outside, which tennis commentator Luca Fiorino said caused "a revolt."
"The players are not very happy for the unequal treatment in relation to big players in Adelaide," he tweeted. "This photo of Naomi Osaka has driven them mad."
—Luca Fiorino (@FiorinoLuca) January 16, 2021
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tilley, however, said Tuesday that better facillities is just what big stars get by virtue of being big stars.
"I get the feeling it is perceived as preferential treatment," Tiley said, according to Nine News Australia.
"But they're the top players in the world. My general rule is if you're at the top of the game, a Grand Slam champion, it's just the nature of the business. You are going to get a better deal."
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