Tennis Australia sweating on COVID 'questions'

Tennis Australia brag Craig Tiley says the organisation is moving with the authorities arsenic the caller COVID-19 variant Omicron threatens to spoil the summertime of tennis.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the caller mentation of coronavirus that was discovered successful South Africa arsenic "a variant of concern".

As it stands, the Australian Open is scheduled to commence connected January 17.

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Due to strict wellness orders successful Victoria, players arriving successful the country, arsenic good arsenic the fans successful attendance, indispensable person impervious of having taken a COVID-19 vaccination arsenic portion of a authorities mandate.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic (Getty)

And portion the vaccine mandate has cast doubts connected the availability of superstars Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, the caller COVID-19 variant whitethorn conscionable beryllium the biggest situation facing the tournament.

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"We knew erstwhile we announced the lawsuit determination would beryllium immoderate much challenges - that's conscionable the quality of the satellite we've been surviving successful for the past 2 years," Tiley told Nine's Sports Sunday.

"We're inactive waiting. I've been talking to the government... there's inactive a batch of unanswered questions astir this [new COVID-19 variant].

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"I deliberation successful the adjacent 14 days we volition person immoderate clarity, but astatine this point, the plans are going up arsenic they are.

"We're looking guardant to 100 per cent capableness crowd... the archetypal charter formation arrives connected the 28th of December."

The Tennis Australia brag said helium hopes to get much accusation earlier the tourney gets underway.

"There's inactive a batch to play out. There's a batch of unanswered questions, which we volition hopefully get to soon," Tiley added.

"But astatine this point, everything is arsenic it was 2 days ago."

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