SNS GroupAndy Murray is self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus but still has hopes of competing in next month’s Australian Open.
The Scot is understood to have contracted the virus recently and has remained at home since his positive test. He is still in good health.
Murray is registered to compete in the first slam event of the year after being granted a wild card entry. Should he suffer no ill effects from the virus then he would be safe to travel to Melbourne after his quarantine period comes to an end.
That could mean a change to his original plans and a late arrival in Australia ahead of the Open but the former world number one still intends to compete. A number of UK-based players are set to travel to Australia on charter flights from Dubai this week and Murray had expected to be among them.
Tournament organisers in Melbourne have promised “strictest program in the world” to keep the competition covid-safe and and will expect all officials to quarantine in hotels for 14 days ahead of the event.
Players will quarantine for two days and then be allowed to train and practice, provided they have shown negative test results.
Following the news about Murray’s test, the organisers tweeted: “Andy Murray has advised that he has tested positive to COVID-19 and is isolating at home in the UK.
“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 enjoys competing here in Melbourne and how hard he’d worked for this opportunity.”
Murray, who has reached the final of the Australian Open five times but never won the event, had recently changed his preparations ahead of the competition.
The 33-year-old had been scheduled to play at the Delray Beach Open in Florida last week but withdrew from the competition.
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