Former world number one Andy Murray has tested positive for COVID-19 but is hopeful he can still compete in the Australian Open next month, organisers announced on Thursday.
The 33-year-old Scot was set to fly out to Melbourne on a chartered flight arriving there over the next 36 hours.
"Andy Murray has advised that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home in the UK," Tennis Australia said in a statement. "Unfortunately this means he will be unable to join the official AO charter flights arriving in Australia in the coming days to go through the quarantine period with the other players. "The AO fans love Andy, and we know how much he loves competing here in Melbourne and how hard he'd worked for this opportunity."The five-time Australian Open runner-up pulled out of last week’s ATP event in Delray Beach as he wanted to “minimise the risks” of catching a transatlantic flight to Florida.
The Australian Open will start on 8 February at Melbourne Park, three weeks later than usual, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Players must test negative before taking one of the 15 chartered flights – which have been put on by tournament organisers and will operate at 25% capacity – to Australia.
Once they have arrived, they will have to pass a series of Covid tests during a 14-day quarantine in Melbourne before the Grand Slam.
