By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday December 18 2020
One way for young players to improve their tennis is to spend quality practice time with the top dogs. Italy’s Jannik Sinner will do just that in Australia in January, as he will reportedly practice exclusively with Rafael Nadal during the pre-Australian Open quarantine. This info comes from tennis journalist George Spalluto.
Players will only be allowed to train with one other person during the first week of quarantine in Australia. During the second week they are allowed to double the size of their practice squads, and reportedly Nadal and Sinner will bring in Stan Wawrinka and Diego Schwartzman. Sounds like an excellent quartet.
The following are the protocols for players at Australian with regard to practice partners. The Australian Open is running a very tight ship in Melbourne this year in order to steer clear of coronavirus infections. Here's some of what we learned about the strict protocols that will be in place in Melbourne in January and February, via Simon Cambers of Tennis Majors.
Once a player has tested negative for Covid-19 on day one of their stay, they and ONE team member will be allowed on site for a maximum of five hours per day, two of which can be spent on the court with one other player, and 90 minutes in the gym. The remaining 19 hours of the day must be spent in their hotel rooms. In the second week of their quarantine, players’ choice of practice partners will be expanded from one to three.
And in other news… Jannik Sinner is hard at work on his footwork as he prepares for the challenge of practicing with Nadal...