ReutersSousa withdraws from Australian Open due to strict COVID-19 protocols
Seventy-two players are currently confined to their rooms in Melbourne ahead of the Feb. 8-21 Grand Slam after positive cases were discovered on three flights ferrying them to Australia. Sousa said he tested positive for COVID-19 before his departure but has since returned a negative test and is asymptomatic. "Even though I already tested negative and have no symptoms, due to the strict rules of the Australian government, I won't be able to travel," Sousa wrote on Instagram on Saturday.
ReutersBarty itching to get started at Australian Open
World number one Ash Barty is itching to get back to competitive tennis at the Australian Open but has poured cold water on the idea that she might be set to end the 43-year wait for a homegrown women's champion. Barty reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time last year before sitting out most of the rest of the season at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 24-year-old remains Australia's best hope of singles success when the year's first Grand Slam starts on Feb. 8 but Barty urged her compatriots not to get their hopes up.
PinkNewsFormer tennis pro Margaret Court, who compares gay people to Hitler, to receive Australia’s highest honour
Homophobic former tennis star Margaret Court, who thinks gay people are “abominable”, could be awarded Australia’s highest honour.
