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sports Friday 29 January 2021
With quarantines almost over, tennis set to start Down Under

By DENNIS PASSA even be remotely possible who were among those
AP Sports Writer in Melbourne. 72 forced into hard lock-
With a coronavirus-en- It was the only Grand Slam down and who couldn’t
forced quarantine coming tournament not affected take advantage of the
to an end, the world’s elite by coronavirus shutdowns daily practice allocation.
tennis players will go from last year, but only because They include 2019 U.S.
two of the quietest weeks it was held in January be- Open champion Bianca
of their lives in Australia to fore the virus was declared Andreescu, whose coach
three of the busiest. a global pandemic in was among those who test-
The government-mandat- March. Among the other ed positive, and two-time
ed quarantine ahead of Grand Slam events, the Australian Open champion
the Feb. 8-21 Australian French Open was delayed Victoria Azarenka.
Open had a controversial until late September, Wim- Before the official tourna-
start. bledon wasn’t held at all ments begin, eight of the
Some players complained and the U.S. Open institut- world’s top players will take
bitterly after being forced In this Jan. 24, 2020, file photo, Serena Williams of the U.S. plays ed a bio-secure bubble for part in an Adelaide exhi-
into hard lockdown be- a shot to China’s Wang Qiang in their third round singles match all players. bition on Friday. Djokovic
cause passengers on their at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, This year’s Australian Open will play Jannik Sinner and
charter flights to Melbourne Australia. Associated Press was delayed by three Williams will take on Naomi
tested positive for CO- weeks to allow arriving Osaka in the day session.
VID-19, and a letter from The No. 2-ranked Nadal Indeed, Australia has done players to spend those 14 Nadal will play U.S. Open
top-ranked Novak Djokovic told CNN that international well. days in quarantine. Players, champion Dominic Thiem
to tournament officials of- tennis players needed to Due to strict incoming trav- coaches and officials were and No. 1-ranked Ash Barty
fering his suggested rule maintain a “wider perspec- eler quarantines, limited flown in on 17 jets char- plays Simona Halep in the
changes sparked public tive on what’s going on in movement between states tered by Tennis Australia night session.
backlash. The 14-day pe- the world,” although he and a previous hard lock- and met by biosecurity of- It will be Barty’s first tour-
riod of isolation for most sympathized with the 72 down of more than 4 million ficials and placed immedi- nament in 11 months. She
players was scheduled to players who were deemed people in Melbourne when ately into hotel quarantine. decided not to defend her
end from late Thursday and to be close contacts of a second wave got out of Most players — those not 2019 French Open title at
early Friday local time. positive coronavirus cases control in Victoria state, on the three virus-affected the delayed event in Paris,
And with it came some from three charter flights Australia has had only 909 charters — were allowed and travel restrictions for
plaudits from Serena Wil- and who had to stay in their deaths attributed to CO- outside for five hours of Australian citizens attempt-
liams and Rafael Nadal. rooms for 24 hours a day VID-19. practice daily. ing to leave the country
“It’s super, super strict . . . and could not practice. And 820 of them were in And instead of having two made it difficult to travel
insane and super intense, “When we came here we Victoria — most during that or three weeks of warmup anyway.
but they are doing it right,” knew the measures were second deadly wave when events, those tournaments “Obviously I haven’t played
Williams said of the quar- going to be strict,” Nadal overnight curfews were put have all been compressed competition tennis for a
antine in an interview with said. “We knew the country in place and use of masks into one week beginning year now so it’s going to be
The Late Show’s Stephen is doing great with the pan- made compulsory outside Sunday -- the ATP Cup a challenge,” the 24-year-
Colbert. “It’s definitely hard demic. Australia is probably of home. men’s team event, two old Barty said. “So there’s
with a three-year old (her one of the best examples in There was some consid- other ATP tournaments and no stresses, no concerns for
daughter Olympia), but it’s the world ... how they react erable doubt during that three WTA events. me. I know it’s going to be
worth it because you want through very challenging second wave whether the One of the WTA events a little bit rusty and that’s
everyone to be safe.” times.” Australian Open would is only open to players OK.”q

TE Jason Witten says he’s retiring again after 17th season

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Wit- he returned for a club- ended his career fourth
ten says he is retiring again, record 16th year with the on the NFL career list with
apparently for good this Cowboys in 2019. Witten 1,228 catches. He’s sec-
time. The longtime Dal- is also the franchise leader ond among tight ends to
las Cowboys tight end in games, starts, catches Tony Gonzalez, who is also
who spent his final season and yards receiving. the only other tight end
with the Las Vegas Raid- When coach Jason Gar- with more yards (15,127 to
ers in 2020 told ESPN on rett was let go after the 13,046).
Wednesday that he was Cowboys missed the play- “As I hang it up, I walk
walking away “knowing offs amid high expecta- away knowing that for
that for 17 seasons I gave tions a year ago, there 17 seasons I gave it my
it my absolute all.” wasn’t a place on the ros- absolute all,” Witten told
The 38-year-old Witten, ter for Witten. ESPN, which reported
who didn’t immediately The 11-time Pro Bowler he planned to retire as
return a message from The joined several former Dal- a Cowboy. “Football is
Associated Press, retired las teammates with the a great game that has In this Jan. 3, 2021, file photo, Las Vegas Raiders tight end
the first time after the 2017 Raiders and had career taught me many valuable Jason Witten warms up for the team’s NFL football game
against the Denver Broncos in Denver.
season with Dallas to be- lows with 13 catches for 69 lessons, and I look forward Associated Press
come an analyst for ESPN’s yards. But Witten did score to passing on that knowl-
“Monday Night Football.” twice, giving him 74 ca- edge to the next genera- he thought the Cowboys All-Pro never made it past
Witten said he started reer touchdowns. tion.” Part of the reason were good enough to the divisional round, and
having second thoughts A third-round pick out of Witten came out of retire- make a run at his first Su- missed the playoffs in 11 of
early in his TV tenure, and Tennessee in 2003, Witten ment two years ago was per Bowl. But the two-time his 17 seasons.q