The final match of Wimbledon is coming on Sunday, and this year’s edition has already shown many things.
For example, Rafael Nadal can still play top-level tennis with an injured foot and a tear in an abdominal muscle, but can’t play for that long. Iga Siwek, another player, is beatable, on grass, at least. Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, made the women’s singles final. But barring Russian players does not necessarily make a competition free of Russian players.
But, surprisingly, after 27 months, (or 2 years and 5 months) of canceled tournaments, events with no spectators, constant covid tests, and bubblelike environments, tennis may have finally moved on from Covid 19. For almost two years, which is longer than about every other sport, tennis struggled with the pandemic and the lockdowns.
Last November, when the N.F.L, The Premier League, and most other sports organizations had gone back to a life that seemed like 2019, tennis players were still living with restrictions. They were doing online conferences and having cotton swabs up their noses at tournaments. The constant travel and locker rooms that are for common use made the players like sitting ducks, always one nasal swab away from being locked in a hotel room for about 10 days. This hotel room is sometimes far away from the player’s home, regardless of how cautious they might have been.
This year, there was no testing needed for Wimbledon or the French Open. People are confused about what they need and should do if they get the sniffles or a sore throat, and the players are no different. Many said they weren’t exactly sure what the rules were in each tournament for those who didn’t feel well. Two widely known players, Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic withdrew after testing positive, even though they weren’t required to take a test. They and every other player could have not taken a test and could have played through the symptoms they had.
Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, whose country had some of the strictest pandemic-related policies, said she stayed cautious, especially at big events, but she had reached the point where she needed to find a balance between safety and sanity. “I just try to take care of myself as much as I can where I’m still not completely isolating myself, where it’s not fun to live,” said Tomljanovic.
Covid isn’t done playing its games with tennis, not yet, at least.
For example, Rafael Nadal can still play top-level tennis with an injured foot and a tear in an abdominal muscle, but can’t play for that long. Iga Siwek, another player, is beatable, on grass, at least. Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, made the women’s singles final. But barring Russian players does not necessarily make a competition free of Russian players.
But, surprisingly, after 27 months, (or 2 years and 5 months) of canceled tournaments, events with no spectators, constant covid tests, and bubblelike environments, tennis may have finally moved on from Covid 19. For almost two years, which is longer than about every other sport, tennis struggled with the pandemic and the lockdowns.
Last November, when the N.F.L, The Premier League, and most other sports organizations had gone back to a life that seemed like 2019, tennis players were still living with restrictions. They were doing online conferences and having cotton swabs up their noses at tournaments. The constant travel and locker rooms that are for common use made the players like sitting ducks, always one nasal swab away from being locked in a hotel room for about 10 days. This hotel room is sometimes far away from the player’s home, regardless of how cautious they might have been.
This year, there was no testing needed for Wimbledon or the French Open. People are confused about what they need and should do if they get the sniffles or a sore throat, and the players are no different. Many said they weren’t exactly sure what the rules were in each tournament for those who didn’t feel well. Two widely known players, Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic withdrew after testing positive, even though they weren’t required to take a test. They and every other player could have not taken a test and could have played through the symptoms they had.
Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, whose country had some of the strictest pandemic-related policies, said she stayed cautious, especially at big events, but she had reached the point where she needed to find a balance between safety and sanity. “I just try to take care of myself as much as I can where I’m still not completely isolating myself, where it’s not fun to live,” said Tomljanovic.
Covid isn’t done playing its games with tennis, not yet, at least.
