Tennis-Australian Open crowds capped at 50% capacity due to COVID

Crowds at the main Australian Open tennis stadiums will be capped at 50% capacity under updated COVID-19 restrictions, organisers said on Thursday, as authorities battle a surge of cases in Melbourne. The Victoria government said all tickets purchased to the Grand Slam to date remained valid, implying usually brisk sales at the main courts had not reached 50% capacity for any sessions.

Crowds at the main Australian Open tennis stadiums will be capped at 50% capacity under updated COVID-19 restrictions, organisers said on Thursday, as authorities battle a surge of cases in Melbourne. Face masks will also be mandatory for all patrons, except when eating or drinking, and there will be density limits of one person per two square metres at indoor hospitality venues.

Tennis Australia (TA) said the 50% cap only applied for ticket sales at the Rod Laver Arena centre court and the second show court Margaret Court Arena. "There are no changes to ground pass access and we still expect to see strong crowds," TA executive Ben Slack said in a statement.

"We are confident in the 'COVIDSafe' measures we have in place." Victoria, which hosts the Grand Slam in state capital Melbourne, reported 37,169 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 25 deaths.

The tally of cases is slightly down from Wednesday's count of 40,127. The buildup to the Australian Open, which starts Monday, has been overshadowed by doubt surrounding the participation of men's champion Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic had his visa cancelled and was detained by Australian border authorities for several days before being released on Monday after winning a court case. The Victoria government said all tickets purchased to the Grand Slam to date remained valid, implying usually brisk sales at the main courts had not reached 50% capacity for any sessions.

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