Serena Williams and her family arrive in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open. Tennis Australia ran its own quarantine system for players and staff.Credit:Getty
The guidelines on travel exemptions,which state that ABF Commissioner Michael Outram will personally consider matters involving relatives of elite sporting teams,say accompanying family members should generally only be approved if they intend to stay in Australia for at least a year.
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There are 34,000 Australians overseas registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as wanting to come home,including more than 9500 in India.
The ABF granted eight travel exemptions for the Australian Open and refused none,the department said. It didn’t name the travellers,but they likely included Serena Williams’ husband,Alexis Ohanian,whoattracted attention in the stands,and theirthree-year-old daughter.
Tennis Australia set up its own quarantine system to allow more than 1200 players and staff to enter the country ahead of the February tournament – to theannoyance of some players who didn’t want to spend the fortnight stuck in a hotel room. The organisation said only10 had tested positive for coronavirus.
A Tennis Australia spokeswoman said this week the program was fully funded by the sporting body and didn’t affect any returning Australians.