Additional warm-up event for Australian Open players in quarantine

WTA announces new tournament in Melbourne

A tennis player waits in his hotel for a training session in Melbourne on January 19, 2021, as players train while quaratining for two weeks ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament. AFP

Storm Sanders walks back to the hotel after a training session in Melbourne. AFP

Marcelo Melo of Brazil walks back to the hotel after a training session. AFP

Latisha Chan of Taiwan. AFP

Tennis players wait to leave the hotel for a training session in Melbourne. AFP

Australian tennis player Ivana Popovic leaves the hotel for a training session. AFP

French tennis player Alize Cornet. AFP

Australian tennis player John-Patrick Smith leaves the hotel. AFP

Novak Djokovic on the balcony of the M Suites, where some Australian Open competitors are currently under quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, in North Adelaide, Australia. EPA

Tennis fans gather outside the M Suites. EPA

Novak Djokovic on the balcony of the M Suites. EPA

Pakistan tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi reacts during a practice session in Melbourne. AFP

An unidentified tennis player hits a return during a practice session in Melbourne. AFP

Support staff appear with Dominic Thiem on the balcony of the M Suites, where some Australian Open competitors are currently under quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, in North Adelaide, Australia. EPA

Romanian tennis player Ioana Raluca Olaru hits a return during a practice session in Melbourne. AFP

Security at the M Suites in North Adelaide. EPA

A radio station welcomes tennis players across the road from the M Suites, where some Australian Open competitors are currently under quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, in North Adelaide, Australia. EPA

Tennis balls are pictured in front of the Australian Open logo. Reuters

Australian Open organisers have added an extra women's warm-up event for players who have been unable to train.

Players who arrived in Australia earlier this month are undergoing a strict quarantine process, where they can only leave their rooms for a few hours a day to practice.

However, there are 72 players – including former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka – in a full 14-day lockdown having been on planes where players and coaches tested positive for the virus. They are not allowed out of their hotel rooms at all.

Officials of the opening major of the year, which begins on February 8, have revealed there will now be three WTA 500 events – the two originally scheduled from January 31 to February 6, with an additional tournament for players who have been unable to train that starts on February 3 and concludes on February 7.

The three men's events have all been pushed back by 24 hours in a bid to aid those competitors in full quarantine.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said: "This has been a particularly challenging time for the athletes in hard lockdown and we, along with the WTA and ATP, aim to do everything we can to help.

"These changes to the lead-in events have been made to give the 72 players a little bit of extra time to help them prepare. We also will prioritise them for things like practice sessions, gym and ice baths."

Andy Murray confirmed this week he will miss the Melbourne tournament having failed to find a "workable quarantine" after he recovered from coronavirus.

The former world No1 is out of self-isolation but could not find a solution to the logistical challenge of getting to Australia and then quarantining ahead of the grand slam.