Bautista Agut sorry for calling Australian Open bubble a prison

Roberto Bautista Agut has issued an apology for likening the Australian Open bubble a prison

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Roberto Bautista Agut received a backlash for likening the Australian Open bubble a prison

Spanish player Roberto Bautista Agut has apologized for his earlier comments, where he said the quarantine ahead of the Australian Open was like being in a prison, ‘but with wifi.’

Players have been complaining about the food quality serve in lockdown in the designated Melbourne hotels. Also, 72 players have been forced into hard quarantine as some passenger on their flight to Australia tested positive to the virus.

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“It’s the same (like a jail), but with wifi,” Bautista Agut said in an interview to Israeli news channel Sport 5.

“These people have no idea about tennis and about practice courts, and it’s a complete disaster. The control of everything isn’t Tennis Australia, it’s with the government.

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“You can work in the room but it’s not the same. I feel very, very tight and I cannot imagine staying two weeks like this. It’s really, really tough. I will have to work a lot mentally.”

The Spaniard though has apologized for his comments.

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“I want to apologise to everyone who has been offended by the video that was posted about me recently. It is a private conversation taken out of context that has unfortunately been released to the media without my knowledge or consent,” he wrote.

“Both my coach and I are following the protocols designed by the Australian government and Tennis Australia to avoid any risk and guarantee to compete again in a safe way. These are hard times for athletes and society in general.”

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The total number of cases ahead of the Australian Open has risen to seven, as two more players tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

Former champion Victoria Azarenka, who is one of the 72 players in hard quarantine, wrote a heartfelt note on Tuesday, asking for compassion and understanding.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Players unhappy with quarantine rules, food

“We have a global pandemic, nobody has a clear playbook of how to operate at full capacity and without a glitch, we all have seen it last year” she stated. “Sometimes things happen and we need to accept, adapt and keep moving.”

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