Aus Open 2021: TikTok to the rescue for tennis stars in indoor quarantine ahead of Slam

As with most people during the lockdown, stir-crazy tennis stars preparing for the Aus Open 2021 have taken to social media to keep themselves entertained. As many as 72 of the best players in the world have been forced to undergo a "hard-quarantine" since their arrival to Melbourne last week. While the initial agreements with Tennis Australia said that players would get up to 5 hours of supervised practice time each day before the tournament, the Aus Open COVID rules state that if anyone on a flight tests positive, the entire flight will have to undergo strict quarantine for 14 days.

Also Read | Novak Djokovic Clarifies Quarantine Demands, Says His 'good Intentions Were Misconstrued'

Tennis stars fight off cabin fever with TikTok, Reels

While this has caused some unrest among the players, it has also led to a treasure trove of TikTok and Instagram videos from bored players trying to practise and entertain themselves. The emerging leaders of the tennis TikTok group are an unlikely bunch, consisting of Argentina's Pablo Cuevas, Women’s World No. 72, Russian Daria Kasatkina, World No. 38 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. While many have used social media to put forth complaints about the food and living conditions (receiving much hate from locals), others have used it to provide a peek into their routines within their rooms.

Cuevas has posted regularly, uploading a video of himself practising shots against a mattress, while the Women's duo of Kasatkina and Pavlyuchenkova went the creative route, simulating a match on TikTok. Swiss tennis star Belinda Bencic also took to Twitter to post a video of herself practising some shots against her hotel room window, pointing out that the carpeted surface may be wrong but it didn't matter. Diego Schwartzman meanwhile, turned his thoughts to the future, imagining himself winning the coveted Slam. Elina Svitolina meanwhile, did the popular 'This or That' challenge on Twitter with a picture of her boyfriend Gael Monfils. 

Also Read | Top-ranked Ash Barty To Make Return In Adelaide Exhibition

If you're wondering why some of the bigger names are missing from this list, it's because the top players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are all actually under quarantine in Adelaide. The separate - and far, far, more liberal - quarantine conditions for the top level of players has been one of the major points of concern for the other players who are stuck in hotel quarantine in Melbourne. The players in Adelaide are actually receiving steady access to world-class courts for practice and living in far superior conditions. 

Also Read | As The Tournament Approaches 72 Players Remain In Hard Lockdown

Aus Open 2021 schedule

Here is the Aus Open 2021 schedule:

Men’s and Women’s singles first round - February 8-9

Men’s and women’s singles second round - February 10-11

Men’s and women’s singles third round - February 12-13

Men’s and women’s singles fourth round - February 14-15

Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals - February 16-17

Women’s semi-finals and first men’s semi-final - February 18

Second men’s semi-final - February 19

Also Read | Rafael Nadal Sets MASSIVE Record Which Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer Can 'Never' Break

Image Credits: Elina Svitolina Instagram & Pablo Cuevas Instagram