The Australian Open is descending into chaos with positive COVID-19 tests, players bickering on social media, and complaints about strict quarantine rules

• The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2021, is descending into chaos before it has even begun thanks to strict new coronavirus protocols.
• Seventy-two players are in quarantine after a handful of positive coronavirus tests emerged on three separate inbound flights to Melbourne on Saturday.
• Players are not pleased, with some saying the quarantine is disrupting their preparations. "It's a complete disaster," one said.
• The men's world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, is among those unhappy with the preparations, writing to the tournament's director, Craig Tiley, with a list of changes he wants.
• Daniel Andrews, the head of the government in the state of Victoria, said: "People are free to provide lists of demands, but the answer is no."

The Australian Open, tennis' first Grand Slam tournament of 2021, is descending into chaos before it has even begun with players complaining about quarantine, making demands to tournament organizers, and arguing on social media.

This year's tournament is operating under strict measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which include flying all players into Australia on chartered planes, enforcing strict time limits on players leaving their hotel rooms after arriving, and, in some cases, introducing total quarantines.

Seventy-two players are in mandatory two-week quarantine after positive coronavirus tests emerged on three separate inbound flights to Melbourne on Saturday.

One positive test was recorded on a flight from Doha, Qatar; another was recorded on a flight from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and two more were recorded on a flight from Los Angeles.

Players who arrived on the flights - including the past Australian Open winners Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber - are now having to isolate in their hotel rooms for two weeks and are not allowed to train outside.

The first round of the tournament is set to begin February 8, meaning quarantined players will have just over a week to practice.

"It's a complete disaster," Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, another player forced to quarantine, said, according to Tennis Head.

"You can work in the room, but it's not the same," he said. "I feel very, very tight, and I cannot imagine staying two weeks like this. It's really, really tough. I will have to work a lot mentally."

"These people have no idea about tennis, about practice courts, about anything," he added.

The Romanian Sorana Cirstea tweeted to say it was unfair to expect those affected to compete in the tournament with such little preparation.

"I have no issues to stay 14 days in the room watching Netflix," she tweeted. "Believe me this is a dream come true, holiday even. What we cant do is COMPETE after we have stayed 14 days on a couch.

"This is the issue, not the quarantine rule."

The tournament's director, Craig Tiley, responded to criticism of the situation by saying, according to Bloomberg: "We are in this situation, we have to deal with it, the Australian Open is going ahead.

"Players will be provided with fitness equipment for their hotel rooms. It's a tough situation and we have got to do whatever we can to make it as fair as possible for those players that are in lockdown."

The rest of the players are in a softer lockdown, but that still hasn't stopped complaints

Those who aren't in hard quarantine are still restricted in their movements before the tournament, allowed to leave their hotels for only five hours a day.

According to the British player Katie Boulter, that time is split between two hours on the court, an hour and a half in the gym, an hour to eat, and 30 minutes to travel between the hotel and tournament facilities.

The men's world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, who is among those allowed to train outside the hotel, is leading those speaking out against the limitations.

According to the tennis journalist Fernando Murciego, Djokovic wrote a letter to Tiley to demand he shorten quarantine periods, allow players to see their coaches, and move as many players as possible to private houses with tennis courts.

Nick Kyrgios called Djokovic a "tool" for making the demands, which were abruptly shot down by Daniel Andrews, the premier of the state of Victoria.

"People are free to provide lists of demands, but the answer is no," Andrews said.

"And that was very clearly put, that was very clearly laid out beforehand. So the notion that there's been any change, the notion that people weren't briefed, I think that argument really has no integrity whatsoever."

He added: "They were all briefed on that before they came. And that was the condition on which they came. There's no special treatment here."

Kyrgios also took aim at Bernard Tomic's girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra, who released a video on Instagram complaining about the food provided during the tournament and about the fact she had to wash her own hair.

"I don't mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes," Kyrgios said.

Most players are just grinning and bearing it

While some players have spoken out before the tournament, many have simply accepted the measures as necessary during a pandemic.

Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open winner, posted on Twitter on Tuesday effectively urging her fellow players to stop complaining and realize their relative privilege.

"I would like to ask all my colleagues for cooperation, understanding and empathy for the local community that has been going through a lot of very demanding restrictions that they did not choose, but were forced to follow," she wrote.

Among those to fall into line with Azarenka's message was Boulter, who in a BBC interview described a need to "keep things in perspective," adding that "there's a lot going on in the world right now that's more important."

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