Players forced into hard quarantine ahead of Australian Open

Dozens of the world's top tennis players have been forced into a strict two-week hotel quarantine ahead of the Australian Open after at least four passengers on charter flights bound for the tournament tested positive for Covid-19.

As of Monday, positive cases on three flights arriving in Australia meant that 72 players were deemed close contacts and required to isolate in their hotel rooms for 14 days, reports Xinhua news agency.

Australian Open officials confirmed that none of those who so far tested positive were players, and that all passengers had returned a negative test prior to boarding.