Serena Williams says Australia is 'doing it right' when it comes to hotel quarantine

Serena Williams says Australia is ‘doing it right’ when it comes to hotel quarantine

Serena Williams

23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams has shown her support for hotel quarantine rules ahead of the Australian Open, saying Australia is “doing it right”.

In an virtual appearance from her hotel room in Adelaide, Williams told US late night television host Stephen Colbert that although the measures in place for athletes ahead of the grand slam have been strict, it’s worth the effort to keep Australians safe.

“Yeah, it’s super, super strict but it’s really good. So Australia right now has, the last I heard, they had zero cases of Covid,” Williams said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“Unbelievable, right? The whole country. So that is really amazing.

“So when we come here in Australia, everyone has to quarantine in a room for 14 days and it’s insane and it’s super intense but it’s super good because after that you can have a new normal like we were used to last year this time in the United States.”

Williams admitted hotel quarantine had been challenging because she had her three-year-old daughter Olympia with her but overall the struggle was worth the end result.

“It’s definitely hard with the three-year-old to be in the hotel all day, but it’s worth it because you want everyone to be safe at the end of the day,” she said.

Williams’ comments make a stark contrast to a number of other tennis players who have travelled to Australia for the Australian Open and have complained about the conditions they have faced on arrival.

Men’s world no.1 Novak Djokovic issued a list of requests on behalf of other tennis players in hotel quarantine. The list included suggestions like reducing the number of days in quarantine, and letting players stay at private houses with tennis courts.

Since, Rafael Nadal has suggested some players needed to be more understanding of the strict quarantine rules in Australia.

“It’s normal to complain in some way but, on the other hand, when you have a little bit wider perspective of what’s going on … you see how many are dying around the world,” he told CNN.

“You see how many people are losing their father, their mum, without having the chance to say goodbye.

“You have to stay a little more positive. I feel that we are privileged people today, having the chance to keep doing our jobs.”

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