Players stranded in their hotel rooms, forced to kill time by playing against the wall.
Others invented games like the Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin who improvised a circuit between the window and the door of his "home" with his rackets, tubes of balls, a table and a few bananas.
Faced with the discontent of the players, the organizers finally decided to adapt and act.
This Sunday, they announced that the week before the Australian Open - postponed from February 7 to 21 due to the health crisis -, would be reshuffled to offer the 72 players who currently observe a strict quarantine of 14 days of better preparation and training possibilities.
"Following extensive consultation between players and the circuits, Tennis Australia has devised a new schedule, taking into account the limited time that many players have had to prepare," said the press release from the Major's organization.
"It is a particularly difficult time for the athletes who are in quarantine and we, along with the WTA and ATP, are doing all we can to help them," continues Craig Tiley, Australian Open director. .
Update: New #AusOpen lead-in schedule to help give the 72 players in 14-day quarantine lockdown the best possible preparation and training opportunities ... https://t.co/OhlKPVUduS pic.twitter.com/jOMHyz75mw
- #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2021
For women, three WTA 500 tournaments will therefore take place.
The two initially scheduled from Sunday January 31 to Saturday February 6, with a slightly reduced number of participants, then a third, intended for players who have not been able to train.
It will start on Wednesday 3 and end on Sunday 7 February.
For men, the two ATP 250 tournaments as well as the ATP Cup, a competition between national teams, will be postponed for 24 hours.
"The two ATP 250 events will begin on Monday February 1, with an increase of 56 places for the main singles draw, while the ATP Cup will begin on Tuesday February 2," the statement said.
READ ALSO>
Australian Open: imposed health rules divide players
To be able to organize the first Grand Slam tournament despite the pandemic and the reluctance of the public, the organizers and the health authorities of the state of Victoria have implemented a very strict health protocol with in particular a 14-day quarantine imposed on all participants.
They have an exit permit of five hours a day to be able to train on condition that they do not undergo a positive Covid test and not be in contact.
Morning essentials newsletter
A tour of the news to start the day
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
Despite everything, a dozen positive cases were detected among the thousand people who arrived by charter flights at the end of last week.
72 players were thus placed in strict quarantine, without any authorization to leave their room.