ReutersVictoria govt confirms new COVID-19 case in Australian Open quarantine
The Victoria state government on Friday confirmed one new case of COVID-19 in the group of people in quarantine in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, a few hours after Spanish player Paula Badosa said she had tested positive for the virus. Badosa was the first player entered for next month's Grand Slam to confirm a positive test, although four were among the 10 cases announced earlier this week. Badosa, the world number 67, flew to Australia from Abu Dhabi and was halfway through her 14 days of quarantine when her test came back positive and she was moved to a "health hotel".
NBC SportsAsh Barty to make return in Adelaide exhibition
Ash Barty is set to return to the tennis court for something other than practice for the first time in 11 months.
The TelegraphLaura Robson hints her career may be over after third hip operation
Laura Robson – the Olympic medallist who is one of Britain’s most charismatic yet unfulfilled players – has hinted that her career may be over after she underwent a third hip operation. Robson has been battling the same sort of issue as Andy Murray – the deterioration of cartilage in her hip socket – and started training for a possible comeback in December. But the extra workload only seems to have made the condition flare up again. As Robson told her Instagram followers: “I was desperate to carry on with training but was in so much pain that surgery was unavoidable … A decision has been made to prioritise the long-term health of my hip. Where that leaves me with tennis I’m really not sure … More than anything my goal is to have a happy, pain-free life.” Poignantly, Robson made the post on her 27th birthday. It is easy to forget how young she is, because her name has carried such weight within British tennis since she won the Wimbledon girls’ event at the age of 14. Even before that, she had been known to insiders as a coruscating talent – the first British junior since Murray to hit the ball with enough force and precision to stop passing players and coaches in their tracks.
